WINTER PARK, Fla. (November 20, 2024) - Men's basketball couldn't find their offensive groove on Wednesday, dropping a home contest to Palm Beach Atlantic in the SSC opener, 86-66. Rollins now stands at 3-2, 0-1 SSC while the Sailfish remain unbeaten at 4-0, 1-0 SSC.
The Tars held an early lead with
Emilis Butkus knocking down a three just five seconds into the game, followed by makes from
Sergey Grishaev and
John Latimer III to make it 9-6. Coming out of the first media timeout however, the Sailfish scored on three straight possessions to take the lead. Rollins hung around, and another three from Butkus made the score 19-18 with ten to play in the first.
Minutes later, a steal and fastbreak dunk from PBA seemed ot deflate the Tars and ignite the Sailfish. They would outscore Rollins by twelve for the remainder of the half, and take a 43-31 lead into the break.
Part of their success came from an unusual foul situation. Both teams were even in total fouls, but the first eight called against the Tars resulted in free throws from Palm Beach Atlantic. They knocked down 17-19 free throws in the first half, while the Tars only had two attempts from the line.
The start of the second half saw the Fish score on their first two possessions to extend their lead. The two teams traded blows for the next few minutes before Rollins managed a small run that chipped away at the lead. A combination of good defense and converted shots on the other end helped Rollins cut the lead down to 61-51 when Grishaev rocked the rim on a dunk off a feed from Latimer.
Palm Beach Atlantic wisely called timeout to stifle the momentum, and they quickly regained their cushion, outscoring the Tars 15-3 over the next five minutes. With the game in hand, both teams made waves of substitutions.
Michael Kalina played hard in the final minutes, scoring six points and dishing out two assists. A Butkus three with seven seconds to go wrapped up the scoring, making the final of 86-66.
Grishaev posted a double-double with 18 points and ten rebounds in the loss.
Beau Frericks added 14 points and five assists, while Butkus scored twelve points and grabbed seven boards. Palm Beach Atlantic had five players in double figures, led by Will Lee's 18.
The Tars shot 35.8% from the floor, including just 5-25 from three (20%). They came into the game with a 45% conversion from distance on the season.
Next up for Rollins is a home matchup with the #1 team in the country, Nova Southeastern, on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:00 pm following the women's game beforehand.
