WINTER PARK, Fla. (December 17, 2024) - An ultra-competitive matchup between Flagler and Rollins saw the Saints hang on for an 85-79 win on Tuesday. With the loss, the Tars fall to 5-5 while Flagler improves to 6-2.
The opening segment saw a back-and-forth battle between the two teams last for more than eight minutes before the initial media timeout. The Tars were able to find open shots in the paint, with
Sergey Grishaev's layup giving them a 22-20 lead at the first break.
Neither team would gain a lead of more than four points for the remainder of the half, though the team with the advantage swapped multiple times. The Saints relied on their outside shooting, knocking down nine of eighteen attempts inn the first. The Tars countered with 51% shooting from the floor and a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line. The score at the break was 47-44 in favor of Flagler.
Inspired by a late-arriving crowd, Rollins opened the second half with eight points in the first two minutes to regain the lead. A huge three from
Emilis Butkus and a layup from
John Latimer III had Warden Arena rocking as Rollins jumped ahead 52-51.
Unfortunately, the Tars ran into a cold streak and saw zero points scored from 14:06 - 9:16 on the clock. During that time, Flagler kept finding ways to score, and found themselves ahead 68-58 before a
William Jobe three snapped the Rollins drought.
Defensively, the Tars stepped up in the next few minutes, leading to a layup and a dunk from Latimer that had Rollins within five at 72-67. Again, Flagler had the answer to stop any further damage, and were soon back up by double figures.
Rollins had one more run in their bag, scoring eight straight points to make it a 81-77 game with under one minute to play. The Tars forced a turnover, but could not convert the fast break layup, allowing Flagler to rebound and knock down two free throws. The Tars then turned it over on their final possession, leading to thr 85-79 final.
Grishaev led the Rollins offense with 22 points and nine rebounds. Frericks added 17 points and five assists while Butkus chipped in 15 points. The Tars struggled from deep, knocking down only four of 21 attempts from three.
Next up for the Tars is a trip to Puerto Rico. They will face Rio Piedras on Friday night at 8:00 pm, and Bayamon on Sunday.
