WINTER PARK, Fla. (January 11, 2025) - Men's basketball didn't have an answer for the red-hot Lynn Fighting Knights in the second half on Saturday, dropping the contest 97-85. With the loss, the Tars drop to 9-7, 2-5 SSC while the Fighting Knights improve to 10-4, 5-3 SSC.
Rollins jumped out to a 10-2 lead early in this one, thanks to an aggressive approach on offense that led to three layups and four free throws. Coming out of the media timeout though, the offense went cold, allowing Lynn to climb back into the game and tie the score at ten all at the 14:28 mark.
Soon after, the two teams combined to score on five straight possessions, leading to five lead changes in a one minute span.
Ian Hart came off the bench with a spark, scoring four points and hitting the boards while
Michael Kalina was dishing out assists on three straight possessions. Another bench player,
William Jobe, made an impact, scoring two points and handing out two assists on three straight trips down the court.
Rollins maintained a healthy lead for the final ten minutes of the half, stalling the Lynn offense at every turn.
Sergey Grishaev knocked down multiple mid-range jumpers, and also worked his 6-10 frame into the paint for a layup that gave the Tars a 34-24 lead with six minutes to go. He would add one more make before the half that gave Rollins a 37-32 advantage at the break.
In the first half, the Rollins defense limited Lynn to 10-31 shooting (32%) that included a 6-21 (28%) effort from three. Unfortunately, things would change drastically in the second half.
For the segment leading up to the media timeout, the two teams went blow-for-blow, exchanging the lead five more times. A steal and layup from
John Latimer III put Rollins up 50-48, but Lynn answered with a three from Jordan Wilkins, giving them the lead. The Fighting Knights would not relinquish the advantage for the remainder of the game.
Rollins kept the game within two possessions for a long stretch, thanks to big plays like a dunk from Jobe and a tough three-point play courtesy of
Beau Frericks. However, the hot outside shooting of the Knights, coupled with the smooth handles and soft touch of big man Leo Beath kept them ahead. A steal and fastbreak dunk for Lynn with about five minutes to go put the icing on the cake as they would hold on for the 97-85 win.
In the second half, Lynn shot 23-35 (66%) from the field, and knocked down 8-16 (50%) of their three-pointers. Rollins shot well (17-32, 53%) but could not match the Knights' effort.
Grishaev was the top performer for Rollins, leading the team with 22 points while collecting four rebounds, dishing two assists, and playing solid defense with three blocks and three steals. Frericks added 16, Latimer went for 15, and
Emilis Butkus had 15 as well.
Next up for the Tars is a road game at Eckerd that will be played at St. Petersburg College. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 pm on Wednesday, January 15.
