DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 11, 2026) - Men's basketball held a late lead, but could not hang on as Embry-Riddle took a 71-66 win. The loss moves the Tars to 13-11 on the year with a 7-9 record in SSC play. The Eagles stand at 11-11, 8-7 SSC.
This one started off sloppy for both sides as they combined for six turnovers before the first media timeout. Despite a couple of lost possessions, Rollins was able to hold a 9-4 lead thanks to five points from
Ricky Ghedini.
Embry-Riddle made a small run to close within two points a few minutes later, but five quick ones from
Michael Kalina and a layup from
Mayson Quartlebaum had the Tars back up by three possessions with 10 minutes to go.
Things seemed to be in great shape when
Jah Nze banged a three to make it 22-13, but the Eagles instantly went on a 9-0 run to tie the game at 22 with 5:54 remaining.
The game tied twice more before the half. Rollins took a brief lead on a Quartlebaum layup with a minute to go, but the Eagles got a three late to take a 33-32 lead into the break.
Rollins shot well enough in the first half, making 13-28 shots (46%), but were only awarded two free throws in the first twenty minutes.
The Tars used the three point shot to stay in the game early in the second. It was a back-and-forth affair that saw each team trade leads and ties for most of the half.
Embry-Riddle went on a run to gain a 50-42 lead, but Nze and Quartlebaum had Rollins back within one shot within two possessions. Minutes later, Nze scored on consecutive possessions to give Rollins a 58-56 lead with 7:31 to play, their first advantage in over 14 minutes.
After swapping buckets, the Tars got a nice layup in traffic from Ghedini to make the score 64-63 at the 4:28 mark. Little did they know, that would be the final made field goal of the game for Rollins.
Nze kept the Tars in front by knocking down free throws, but a wild stretch between 2:06-0:50 saw four turnovers between the two teams. The Eagles knocked down six free throws in the final minute, while Rollins missed all three of their shots, leading to a 71-66 final.
Nze was the leading scorer with 21 points on 7-14 shooting (5-12 from three). Ghedini added 15 points and six boards. Rollins ended the game shooting 24-57 (42%) from the floor. Jared Berry had 23 points for Embry-Riddle to lead all scorers.
Next up for the Tars is another road matchup. On Saturday, February 14, the Tars will head to Tampa to take on the Spartans. With only four games remaining in the regular season, every game is huge if the Tars want to stay in the hunt for a SSC tournament appearance. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:00 pm.
