#7 Tars Upset #2 Lions on the Road

SAINT LEO, Fla. (February 28, 2023) - The Tars are not done yet. Following a loss in their final home game of the year, Rollins entered the SSC tournament as the #7 seed. However, they played fantastic basketball on Tuesday, leading to an upset of #2 Saint Leo, 76-66. Rollins now stands at 15-14 on the year, while Saint Leo wraps up their season with a 22-10 mark.

Both teams had a tough start to the game, though Rollins was able to find an advantage by working the ball into the paint where Hutton Yenor and Matheus Silveira scored the first eight points for the Tars. John Latimer III then joined in, finishing a layup and knocking down a three to give Rollins a 13-4 lead at the first media time out. 

Coming out of the break, Saint Leo scored on their next three possessions, making it a competitive match. They would climb within four points of the Tars, but Kyle Marion came through with two big threes before the second media timeout to retain some breathing room. 

The final ten minutes of the first half were much more evenly matched as each team answered bucket for bucket, miss for miss, and turnover for turnover. Twice the Lions pulled with in one point late, but jumpers from Yenor and Marion kept them from taking a lead. At the horn, Rollins held a slim 37-34 lead. 

Saint Leo managed to tie the game for the first time with a three-point play on their first possession of the second half. Marion and Latimer were able to reclaim brief leads, but again, it was the Lions feeding off their home court advantage able to answer.

The momentum did not last as the tenacious Rollins defense was in top form. For the four minute stretch between 16:54-12:54, Saint Leo scored just two points. During that time, Yenor and Cade Long were able to give the Tars a lead that they would not relinquish for the remainder of the game.

Saint Leo turned to big man Marty Jackson to try and come back, but Yenor and Marion were able to counter with exceptional play of their own. The Lions went cold again, failing to score during a three minute stretch. Shots were missed on both ends, but Rollins converted enough chances to stay on top. A combo of Yenor making a layup followed by a Latimer three at the eight-minute mark gave Rollins an eleven point lead, 61-50.

The game was in hand from that point forward as the lead would never be less than seven. A couple of late free throws sealed the deal in a 76-66 win.

Marion led the Tars with 23 points, including 5-6 shooting from thee. Yenor was right at his average with 20 points scored along with four rebounds and five assists. Latimer chipped in 16 points and nine boards, while Silveira snagged ten rebounds. 

For the game, Rollins shot 46% from the floor and 45% from three. Perhaps most important was their ball control. The Tars only had six turnovers, while forcing eleven.

Per the SSC, this is the first #7 over #2 upset since the 2008 tournament. 

Next up for the Tars is a date with the #6 Embry-Riddle Eagles, who defeated #3 Florida Southern on Tuesday. The game will be played in Daytona on Thursday, March 2 with a tipoff of 7:00 PM.