TAMPA, Fla. (January 4, 2025) - Men's basketball ran out of gas late in a shootout with Tampa on Saturday, falling bya score of 99-92. The loss drops Rollins to 8-6 overall and 1-4 in the SSC. The Spartans improve to 10-3, 2-3 SSC.
The Spartans jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead, but three straight steals from the Tars led to a tie ball game, and then a Rollins lead after
Beau Frericks nailed a deep three.
Both teams went through stretches of taking a lead, giving it up, and the reclaiming it. Down by seven with 11:34 to go in the first, a midrange jumper from
Sergey Grishaev and five points from
Emilis Butkus had the game tied up at 19.
Dylan Wolle provided a spark late in the half, finishing on a tough drive in the paint, and knocking down two free throws within thirty seconds of checking in to the game.
With 4:46 remaining, Tampa scored on an offensive rebound. For the remainder of the half, incredibly, neither team would miss a shot from the floor, totaling twelve consecutive made shots.
John Latimer III put the cherry on top with a buzzer-beating layup to give Rollins a 41-40 lead at half.
Tampa went on a run to start the second half, but back-to-back threes from Frericks and Grishaev had the game tied up at 51 all. Unfortunately, when Tampa retook the lead at 53-51 with 16:12 to go, they would not relinquish it for the rest of the game.
Rollins pulled within one possession on multiple occasions, but Amarion Nimmers seemed to have the answer for the Tars every time. He would end up as the game's leading scorer with 33 points.
The Tampa lead would grow as high as 14 points, but Rollins was able to whittle it down to four with under a minute to play. The Spartans were able to convert at the free throw line, and the final two Rollins possessions resulted in missed shots, leading to a 99-92 final score.
Butkus was the top scorer for Rollins with 26 points. Frericks was right behind him with 21 and three assists. Grishaev stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, seven boards, and four dimes while Latimer added 13 points, seven rebounds, and seven helpers.
Next up for the Tars is a home matchup against Saint Leo on Wednesday, January 8. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 pm, following the women's game.
