Tars Stumble in SSC Opener

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (November 20, 2021) – The Tars came up short in their first Sunshine State Conference contest of year, falling for the first time in the campaign, 79-71, against Palm Beach Atlantic.  Rollins now sits at 3-1 overall and 0-1 in SSC action.  The Sailfish improve to 2-2, and 1-0 against conference opposition.
 
Dayton Gumm led Rollins with 15 points and six assists.  Kyle Marion and Cody Potter each net 13 points, Potter going 4-8 from three point range.  Brooks Cluxton grabbed 10 rebounds.  The Tars shot 37.7% from the field, and went 14-43 (32.6%) as a team from deep.  Rollins only went to the foul line five times, against 25 times for Palm Beach Atlantic.
 
Jules Jasmin led all scorers with 22 for the Sailfish.  Jakob Hester registered a double-double, scoring 11 points and pull down a team high 10 boards.  Palm Beach Atlantic out-rebounded Rollins 49-38, and outscored the Tars in the paint 44-20.
 
First Half

• The teams traded baskets to start the first half, Brooks Cluxton tallied four of the Tars first six points, as the Tars trailed by one, 7-6, at the first media timeout.
• The Sailfish grew the lead to four, before back-to-back Cade Long three pointers gave Rollins what would be their last lead of the first half, at 12-10.
• Palm Beach Atlantic went on a 10-0 run over the next six minutes to take a 20-12 lead.
• Both teams split the scoring over the final 8:29 of the period.  A pair of Dayton Gumm dunks in the final 2:28 cut the Sailfish advantage to four as the teams headed into the locker room

Second Half

• A Hutton Yenor jump shot and a Will Erickson three gave Rollins a 32-31 lead just over one minute into the second period.
• Layups from Kyle Marion and Dayton Gumm gave the Tars a four point advantage, the biggest Rollins lead of the second half.
• The Sailfish hit a three pointer to cut the Tars advantage to one before the media time out.  The basket kicked off a 16 point streak for the Sailfish, giving them a commanding lead they would never surrender.
• Cody Potter hit a three to end the streak, then made another to cut the lead to three with 7:45 on the clock, but that was as close as Rollins would get.
• Rollins would make it a two possession game at 63-58, 67-61, 75-69, and 77-71, but they could never pull any closer than that.  The Sailfish hit their free throws down the stretch to seal the win. 

UP NEXT:
The Tars face a busy Thanksgiving week, with back-to-back-to-back contests before they enjoy their turkey.  The Tars start the home stand by hosting Warner at 7 p.m. on Monday, November, 22, in the Warden Arena.