Tars Sink No. 12 Buccaneers for First SSC Win

WINTER PARK, Fla. (December 11, 2021) – Rollins earned their first Sunshine State Conference win of the season in style, tallying a 98-92 victory over the No. 12 Barry Buccaneers.  This is the Tars' second win of the campaign over a ranked opponent.  Rollins improves to 6-4 overall, and 1-3 in SSC play.  The Bucs suffer their first loss of the year, and fall to 7-1 overall, and 2-1 in conference action.
 
The Tars got double digit point efforts from four starters.  Hutton Yenor led the way with 25 points on 10-15 shooting, including going a perfect 3-3 from deep.  Brooks Cluxton poured in 20 of his own, while also leading Rollins with seven assists.  Earning his first collegiate start, Sergey Grishaev tallied 18 points on 6-8 shooting.  Kyle Marion scored 17, while dishing out six helpers.  Yenor and Cluxton each collected eight rebounds for Rollins.
 
Jake Kakar paced the Buccaneers with a 20 point contest, going 6-11 from three point range.  Michael Scaefer, Nick Anderson, and Marcelo Perez also tallied double digit scoring totals for Barry.
 
First Half

• The teams traded baskets early, but a Dayton Gumm three pointer followed by a Brooks Cluxton layup gave Rollins a five point advantage at the first media time out.
• The Buccaneers would quickly tie the game back up, at 13-13, after play resumed, and again the teams battled back and forth.  With Hutton Yenor hitting a three pointer to tie the score at 24-24 with 8:45 on the clock.
• The Bucs found their shooting stroke over the next five minutes, and were able to grow their lead to five on three occasions, but the Tars would never let the game out of reach, responding with a Cody Potter three, a Hutton Yenor jump shot from the free throw line, and Kyle Marion three to stay wit in striking distance.
• Yenor tied the game at 41-41 from the charity stripe, but the Bucs hit a late three to take a 44-41 advantage into the locker room.

Second Half

• Rollins started the second half on a tear, jumping out to a 55-44 lead with a 14-0 run over the first two minutes.  Hutton Yenor and Sergey Grishaev combined for 11 of the 14 points, as the senior and the freshman carried Rollins to the lead.
• The Tars would balloon their advantage to as much as 12 three times over the next five minutes of play.  Brooks Cluxton putting Rollins up 62-50 with 12:33 left on the clock.
• The Bucs went on a 7-0 run of their own to get back in the game, until a Cody Potter three stopped the bleeding for Rollins.
• Barry continued to chip into the lead, slicing it down to one point with 4:09 left to play.  Rollins responded with a pair of Marion free throws and a Grishaev triple to regain a six point margin.
• Grishaev also knocked down a clutch three with 1:28 on the clock, helping the Tars seal the game away.
• Barry hit shots down the stretch, but Rollins was steady at the free throw line, and added a late Grishaev layup, to finish off the upset.

Up Next:
Rollins will make the trip to Las Vegas, where they will take on No. 1 Lubbock Christian on Friday, December 17, and Montana State-Billings on Saturday, December 18.
 
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