Late Run Upends Rollins Upset Bid

WINTER PARK, Fla. (January 8, 2022) – The Tars led the No. 3 Nova Southeastern Sharks deep into the second half, but could not hold on, falling 88-82 inside of the Alfond Sports Center.  With the loss the Tars drop to 7-8 overall, and 2-5 in Sunshine State Conference play. Nova Southeastern remains unbeaten on the year, at 14-0 overall, and 8-0 against SSC opposition.  
 
Hutton Yenor led the Tars with 26 points, including going 11-14 from the charity stripe.  Dayton Gumm tallied 17 points on 7-10 shooting from the field.  Brooks Cluxton earned a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.  Cluxton also led the Tars defensive efforts, which held the nations top offense to one of their lowest scoring outputs of the season, tying a career high with six blocks.
 
The Sharks got a balanced team effort that saw six players register double digits in points.  They were led by 15 from Eddie Puisis, who went 5-7 from the field.  RJ Sunahara paced the team with nine boards and three blocks, while Nick Smith dished out seven assists.  
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
First Half

• A Cade Long three pointer and Brooks Cluxton layup got Rollins off on the right foot with a early 5-0 lead.
• Long hit another three at the 16:47 mark to give Rollins a 13-4 lead, and forcing the Sharks to take an early timeout.
• The Sharks cut the Tars' advantage down to three, but trio of scores from Dayton Gumm, a pair of Long layups, and a score form Cody Potter were part of a run that saw the Tars grow their lead to as much as 13
• The Sharks again responded, cutting their deficit to two, at the 3:12 mark, but the Tars never surrendered the lead.
• Rollins closed the half on a run that was capped by a Hutton Yenor triple and a Brooks Cluxton buzzer beater, as the Tars led wire to wire over the first 20 minutes, taking a 51-43 lead into the locker room

Second Half

• The Sharks opened the half with a 9-0 run to grab their first lead of the day to minutes into the period, but a Gumm three pointer quickly reclaimed a narrow advantage for the Tars.
• The Tars went a short streak of their own, and held a 7 point lead, 61-54, at the 15 minute mark.
• The teams traded scores over the next five minutes, with Rollins growing their lead to nine on two occasions, once with a pair of Yenor free throws, and again with a deep three pointer from the senior guard.
• The next five minutes saw the Sharks slowly chip into the Tars' lead, and finally regain the advantage, at 73-72, with 4:42 showing on the clock.
• The sharks expanded the lead to five, but a dunk from Cluxton and a layup from Gumm made it a one point game with 2:36 remaining.  Unfortunately, those were the final field goals the Tars would convert.
• The Sharks hit a pair of clutch shots down the stretch, and hit enough of their free throws to fight off the Tars upset.

UP NEXT:
Rollins will travel to No. 21 Tampa on Wednesday, January 12.  Tip off against the Spartans is set for 7:30 p.m.
 
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