WINTER PARK, Fla. (January 24, 2024) - Rollins feel one shot short on Wednesday as the Florida Southern Mocs held on against a furious Tars comeback for an 88-85 win. The Tars now stand at 5-12 on the year with a 2-8 record in the SSC. The Mocs improve to 14-5 and 8-2 in the SSC.
After Rollins jumped out to an early 4-2 lead, Southern fought back for control and led 10-5. A nifty baby hook from
Matheus Silveira, followed by a three from
Braxton Barnhizer would knot things up at ten at the first media timeout.
The Tars would tie the game twice in the next two minutes, and eventually take a 18-16 lead off a Silveira make in the paint. Per the game script, the next flow on offense went to the Mocs as they took a 22-18 lead, followed immediately by a three from
Cody Potter and another Silveira bucket to jump back ahead.
In the third chapter of the first half, Rollins went cold from the floor while Southern went on a 8-0 run to stake their fifth lead of the first half at 33-26. A pair of threes on back-to-back possessions from
Cade Long would keep the Tars close, but soon the Mocs advantage increased to eleven. The two teams traded dunks in the final 30 seconds, including a baseline slam from
Dylan Wolle, making the count 5-44 at the break.
Rollins scored the first two buckets of the second half on a Wolle layup and a
Kyle Marion floater. Moments later, it was Marion knocking down a three, Silveira scoring in the paint, and Grishaev nailing a triple from the corner to give Rollins a 56-53 lead. The two teams would then hit their next six shots combined from the floor as the Tars ballooned their lead to 65-57.
The Mocs answer was to hit a three on their next three consecutive possessions, instantly erasing the Tars lead. Southern would maintain an advantage for most of the remainder of the game, though Rollins fought hard and kept things close.
Marion took over late in the game, scoring on a tough layup on a fastbreak sparked by a Long steal, tying the game at 85 with 80 seconds to play. Unfortunately, the Mocs answered instantly with a midrange jumper and a free throw.
With ten seconds to go, the Tars got a clean look at a three from Marion, followed by an attempt from Potter that was blocked as Souther held on for the conference win.
Marion led the Tars in scoring with 20 points and added four rebounds and four assists. Grishaev was impressive with 19 points and eight rebounds. Silveira chipped in 17 points and seven boards. Six different Mocs hit double digits, led by Akol Arop's 20.
Next up for Rollins is a date with the #6 Nova Southeastern Sharks in Ft. Lauderdale. Gametime is set for 4:00 pm on Saturday, January 27.
