WINTER PARK, Fla. (November 27, 2024) - Men's basketball snuck in one more game before Thanksgiving, and earned an 83-55 win over visiting Puerto Rico Bayamon on Tuesday. The win puts the Tars at 4-3 on the season, while the Vaqueros drop to 0-5.
Sergey Grishaev got the offense going with a monster two-hand dunk in traffic a minute into the game, followed by layups from
Beau Frericks and
John Latimer III to put Rollins up 6-3. They would not relinquish the lead from that point forward, using a mix of strong team defense and a patient offense to convert. Grishaev was dialed in from long range, knocking down three first half triples, while Latimer was relentlessly attacking the Vaquero defense, earning layups and/or free throws at will.
At one point, Bayamon pulled with in three at 19-16, but Rollins went on a 12-0 run to inflate their cushion, helped by eight points from Latimer. The Tars scored the final three points of the half, taking a 40-27 lead into the break.
Rollins shot 15-26 (58%) from the floor in the opening frame while limiting Bayamon to 10-29 (34%).
The second half was much of the same story as the Tars worked their offensive sets to find open looks.
Michael Kalina was a spark plug off the bench, recording three steals in the second half, all of which led directly to transition points. Rollins forced Bayamon into 16 turnovers, ten of which were steals.
The Vaqueros could not keep up with the Tars on offense, and the game was decided well before the final horn. A roar came from the home crowd as
Caleb Samuel checked into the game with a minute left, but his lone shot attempt rimmed out.
All five Rollins starters shot above 50% from the floor in this one. Latimer had the game-high with 19 points while adding two rebounds, six assists, and four steals. Grishaev chipped in 17 points and four rebounds, while
Ian Hart was good for 15 points, six boards, and three assists. The defense did a great job corralling Victor Carillo, holding him to only ten points on 4-14 shooting. On Monday at Eckerd, Carillo scored 41 including nine made threes.
Next up for the Tars is another home game, their eighth in a row to open the season. They will host Beacon College on Tuesday, December 3rd. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 pm, following the women's game against Warner.
