WINTER PARK, Fla. (November 9, 2024) - Men's basketball fell behind early, fought all the way back, and then lost in overtime 80-75 to Edward Waters on Saturday. The Tars now stand at 1-1 on the year while the Tigers improve to 2-0.
The two teams came out firing from the jump, battling to a 16-10 score in favor of the Tigers at the first media timeout. Unfortunately, Rollins went cold after the break, and had a four-minute stretch without scoring. A three from Prince Davies made the score 32-12 with eleven minutes ot play in the half.
Rollins did not retreat, and slowly began their comeback. John Latimer hit a pair of free throws, followed by a three from
Ian Hart. That was followed by a layup from
Beau Frericks and a three-point play courtesy of
Sergey Grishaev. The tigers managed to get some of their lead back, and led at halftime 48-37.
The Tars scored eight points quickly to start the second thanks to a Latimer three and a five from
Emilis Butkus. After a pair of defensive stops, Frericks knocked down a huge corner triple to make the score 50-48. Edward Waters failed to score on their next three possessions, and a layup from Butkus completed the comeback, tying the game at 50.
There would be a flurry of ties and lead changes over the next few minutes as the two teams settled into rhythms on offense. Following a Tiger three, Latimer knocked down two free throws, and Grishaev came up with a huge steal, leading to a fastbreak layup for Butkus to tie the game at 70 with a minute to play. Neither team would score again, leading the game to overtime.
Points were at a premium in the extra frame as both teams took more than two minutes to get on the board. Davies knocked down a three for the Tigers, but Latimer had the answer with a bank job from the wing, making it 73 all. Rollins had two good looks on their next possessions, but the ball rimmed out both times. Edward Waters was able to hit a three with forty seconds left, and nailed all their free throws to hold on for the 80-75 win.
Butkus led the Tars with 22 points while adding seven rebounds and three assists. Latimer and Frericks chipped in 19 points and four assists each. Ja'Kobe Williams posted a near triple-double for the Tigers, finishing with eleven points, twelve rebounds, and nine assists.
The Tars will be back in action on Wednesday, November 13 when they take on the Warner Royals. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 pm from Warden Arena.
