WINTER PARK, Fla. (February 25, 2023) - The Rollins Tars let a first-half lead slip away, and eventually fell to the Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish by a score of 94-87 on Saturday afternoon. Rollins finishes the regular season 14-14 overall, with a 10-10 record in the SSC.
The Tars went ahead early with three-point makes from
Cade Long,
John Latimer III and
Hutton Yenor on three straight possessions. After the Sailfish came back to tie the game at 13,
Matheus Silveira and Yenor added five quick points to put the Tars back on top. The lead would extend over the next three minutes, highlighted by a pair of layups form Latimer and a transition three form
Kyle Marion to make the score 25-13.
After PBA snapped their scoreless streak, Rollins kept the pressure on with threes from
Cameron Corcoran and Long, as well as a power dunk from Silveira to make it a 14-point game, 38-24, with nine minutes to go. The Rollins advantage went as high as sixteen at one point when Yenor knocked down a pair of free throws. The Sailfish were able to chip away late in the half, and headed into the locker room trailing Rollins 55-46 at the break.
The Tars were hot in the first, knocking down 56% of their shots from the field and a whopping 11-16 (69%) shots from distance.
The second half proved to be a different story. Yenor was the only Tar able to score in the first four minutes after the break, leading to a PBA run to pull within 61-57. Rollins ofund a second wind, and were able to score seven straight on a jumper and three from Yenor as well as a layup from Long. However, the three from Yenor at the 14:20 mark would be the Tars last bucket for more than four minutes as they went cold from the floor. By the time Silveira had the Tars back on the board, it had become a one-possession game.
Rollins hit another scoring lull over the next three minutes, while the Sailfish captured a five-point lead. A fastbreak three-point play from Latimer inspired the Tars, and they would tie the game up at 77 wit 5:28 to play.
Unfortunately, the Sailfish got hot late, scoring on three consecutive possessions while Rollins failed to score. They would go up 84-7, and never trail in the game again, eventually coming out on top 94-87.
Yenor led the Tars with 30 points on 11-24 shooting. He now stands as the 5th all-time leading scorer in Tars history, surpassing Jeff Merton '18 in this one. Marion added 19, Silveira 14, Long 11, and Latimer 10 to round out the scoring. Jalen Cooper led PBA with 33 points.
Rollins will play in the SSC quarterfinals on Tuesday, February 28, though their opponent, time, and location are yet to be determined. Updates will be available on RollinsSports.com as soon as they are available.
