WINTER PARK, Fla. (December 9, 2023) - Missed free throws doomed Rollins in their effort for a comeback win against Lynn on Saturday, a game they lost 80-77 in overtime. The Tars now stand at 3-4 on the year with an 0-3 record in the SSC. The Knights improve to 4-1 overall, 1-1 SSC.
It took a few minutes to get the wheels spinning for the Tars offense early on as they entered the first media timeout down 9-4. Minutes later, threes from
Braxton Barnhizer and
Kyle Marion, as well as a pull up jumper from
Dylan Wolle made it 17-14. The game would remain a one or two possession game for the remainder of the half until Lynn broke away late with the last twelve points of the half to go into the break ahead 42-29.
The Knights shot 52% from the field in the first half compared to only 32% for the Tars.
The second half was a completely different story as the Tars came out hot, while also playing phenomenally on the defensive end. Marion,
Sergey Grishaev, Barnhizer, and
Matheus Silveira combined for nine points in the first three minutes to make it 48-44. The Knights would maintain the four-point lead for a few minutes, but eventually the Tars would erase it. A pair of strokes from Grishaev and Long knotted the score at 54 all.
Rollins was not done. A
Jaden Frazier free throw put them on top, followed by redshirt freshman
Dylan Wolle scoring six straight points, putting Rollins up 63-57.
With a seven-point lead and 4:18 to go, Rollins looked primed to take home a win. However, they failed to hit another field goal until Marion hit a driving layup with six seconds to go which put Rollins ahead 69-67. Jalen Gilmore raced the length of the floor and was able to draw a foul with one second on the clock before knocking down both free throws to send the game to overtime.
The Tars took an early lead in the extra period, leading by as many as four. However, their offense went stagnant after Silveira's layup at the 3:53 mark. It was free throws only from that point, and Rollins managed to make just six of eleven from the charity stripe in overtime. With the seconds left, the Tars drew up a play, but the ball was lost out of bounds before a shot was taken, leading to a 80-77 win for Lynn.
Silveira was the top scorer for Rollins, finishing with 18 points and four rebounds. Marion chipped in 16, and Wolle added 14.
Next up for Rollins is a pair of games at the beach. They will play on Sunday against Angelo State in the Daytona Beach Shootout. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:00 pm from the Ocean Center on December 17.
