Tars Comeback Bid Falls Short.

The Rollins College Tars (22-5) (13-3 SSC) dug a 20 point hole early Saturday and could not overcome it. Eckerd got off to a sizzling start with a 20-0 lead over the first four minutes and hung on for a 63-58 win at Warden Arena Saturday. With the loss the Tars will have to settle for a share of the Sunshine State Conference title and will be the number two seed in this coming week's SSC tournament. Florida Southern clinched the top seed with a win over Nova Southeastern. Nick Wolf had a big night for the Tars with a game high 27 points. Myk Brown added 15 for the Tars.

Eckerd had three players in double figures. John Harper had 17 points to lead the Tritons 18-8 (11-5 SSC). Zaronn Cann posted 13 points and Chris Gray chipped in 10 for Eckerd. The Tritons outshot the Tars 56-42% for the game. Rollins was just 7 of 18 from long range on the afternoon. The Tritons jumped out to the 20-0 early behind six points each from Cann and Gray. The Tars would go on a 15-6 run to cut it to a 26-15 Eckerd lead with 8:45 in the half. The Tars briefly got it to single digits at 28-19 on a Baran put back but the Tritons would stretch the lead to 35-23 at the intermission. The Tars would get the lead to 6 at 42-36 but the Tritons would score the next five to push it back to a 11 point game with 9:02 left. The Tars behind five points from Nick Wolf would go on a 7-0 run to cut the lead to 4 (50-46). Harper would bury a big three and the Tritons would hang on for the 63-58 win. The Tars will be back in action Wednesday at 7:30 at Warden Arena, second seeded Rollins will host seventh seeded Tampa.

Walsh Too Much For NDC in AMC Title Game.

The Walsh Cavaliers came into Saturday's AMC title game as the number one team in the nation in the NAIA and the next forty minutes proved why. The Cavaliers came into Murphy Gym and claimed the AMC title and the automatic bid to the NAIA tournament that goes with it with a 85-57 thrashing of Notre Dame. It was only NDC's second home loss of the season and first since a loss to Siena Heights back in December. The Falcons (19-11) fell for the fifth time in the past seven games. Walsh has now defeated NDC all seven times they have played them. The loss was the first by the Falcons to a conference opponent in Murphy Gym all season.

Walsh improved to 28-2 with their 9th consecutive victory. This season will be Walsh's sixth consecutive trip to the NAIA National tournament.

The Cavaliers jumped on NDC early and took the crowd out of the game with a 18-7 run in the first five minutes and 45 seconds. The game was played pretty much evenly for the rest of the first half. Walsh would get a buzzer beating runner by Lamar Skeeter at the half to take a 47-32 lead into the locker room. Walsh only committed one turnover in the first twenty minutes and shot 50% from the floor. The Cavs were true on 11 of 12 at the charity stripe in the opening stanza. Walsh pretty much dominated the second half and would lead by as many as 30 (75-45) in the second half.

Notre Dame was led by 15 points and 8 rebounds from Eric Dummermuth. Curtis Mclure was the only other Falcon in double digits with 11. Notre Dame shot just 34.5 % from the floor (20 of 58 for the game) and 33 percent from the three point line. The Falcons did not help themselves by going just 11-23 (48%) from the charity stripe.

Walsh was led by a monster game from Ricky Jackson. Jackson scored 22 of his 33 points in the first half and added 10 rebounds to complete the double-double. Lamar Skeeter added 20 points for Walsh. Walsh shot 28 of 55 (50.9%) for the game.

NDC will get a second crack to qualify for the NAIA national tournament when they host Cedarville. Tip time on Tuesday night is set for 7:30 at Murphy Gymnasium.

Tars Secure Half of Title.

The Rollins College Tars improved to 22-4 and 13-2 in the SSC with a 72-63 win over the Florida Tech Panthers at the Alfond Sports Center in Winter Park. In the process the Tars clinched at least a share of the conference title. The blue clad Tars can clinch the title outright and the number one seed in next week's Sunshine State Conference with a win against Eckerd on Saturday.

Rollins was led by three players in double figures Wednesday. Myk Brown poured in a game high 23 points to lead the Tars. Ryan Ferranti added 13, as he turned in a perfect evening. The Senior from Miami was 3 of 3 from the field including a three ball and 6 of 6 at the charity stripe. Nick Wolf posted his 60th consecutive game in double digits as he had 10 points to go along with 7 rebounds. The Tars shot the ball at a 49 percent clip from the field. Normally a strong suit for RC the Tars struggled from beyond the arc Wednesday. They were just 3 of 13 from three point territory. Rollins was a very solid 21 of 24 (88%) at the charity stripe. The Tars also had a very uncharacteristic 16 miscues on the evening.

The Panthers fell to 14-12 and 4-11 in the SSC. Florida Tech also had three players in double figures. Simon Cummings led the way with 19 points on 6 of 16 shooting. Justin Sedlak chipped in 15 and Mark Caviness added 12. The Panthers shot 41 percent from the field on the night. FIT was just 4 of 17 from long range. They also struggled at the foul line going just 11 of 17 (65%). The Tars won the board battle 32-29.

The 13th ranked Tars got off to a slow start as it would be FIT that took a 6-3 lead early. This would be the Panthers only lead though as they would trail 18-10 midway thru. the last ten minutes would be fairly even and the Tars would take a 36-26 lead into the locker room. Rollins would get that lead out to 15 but the Panthers would fight back and it would be 51-49 Rollins with ten minutes in the contest. The Tars would then put away the "pesky" Panthers with a 11-2 run that would make it 62-51. It would get no closer than seven the rest of the way. The conference title is the Tars seventh in team history all under the direction of current coach Tom Klusman. Rollins will look to bring the outright title to Winter Park on Saturday. Tip time against Eckerd is set for 4 PM.

Bench Bunch Lifts Tars Past Saint Leo.

The Rollins College Tars got one step closer to a Sunshine State Conference regular season title with a 70-64 win at Saint Leo Saturday. The Tars with the win improved to 21-4 (12-2 SSC). St.Leo fell to 11-17 (4-10 SSC). The win was the fourth straight for the Tars. They now have a one game lead on second place Florida Southern with two remaining.

Rollins tallied five players in double figures Saturday. Ryan Ferranti set a new career high with 14 points for Rollins. Myk Brown and Nikola Baran posted 12 points each. Nick Wolf continued his streak of consecutive games scoring in double digits to 59. He had his fifth double-double in the past 6 games. Wolf had 11 points and 12 rebounds. Brock Blanchard was a big contributor off the bench going 2 of 3 from long range and scoring 10 points.

St.Leo had three players in double figures. Josie Vazquez and Jeremy Jackson each had 14 points. Jordan Prais posted a double-double with 10 points and 12 boards. While the Tars are battling to win the regular season title, the Lions are fighting just to make the Sunshine State Conference Tournament (only 8 of 9 teams make it). St.Leo and Florida Tech are each 4-10 at the moment with Tampa at 4-11.

St.Leo out shot the Tars 52 percent to 42 percent from the field. The Tars were just 33 percent shooters in the second half. St.Leo won the battle on the glass 34-27. The biggest difference in this one was miscues. St.Leo had 18 miscues on the day while the Tars committed just six.

Rollins got off to a quick start led by a pair of Nikola Baran triples they would lead 13-10 after five minutes. St. Leo then went on a 14-3 run and would lead 24-16 midway thru the half. The Tars would take control in the last ten minutes of the half and would lead 41-29 at the half. The Tars had a very scary moment in this game. Ian Scott was undercut on a fast break and landed awkwardly on his foot. Scott had to sit the rest of the game. The Tars at the moment only have an 8 man rotation. Leo would get to within three but Nick Wolf would have a old fashioned three point play to get the Tars back on track. Saint Leo would make another run late and after a trey by Dominick Robinson it would be 63-61 Tars with 2:13 to go. Matt Robertson and Julian Wilkison would sink a pair of free throws each to seal it for the Tars. Rollins will finnish the regular season with a pair of home games at Warden arena. Rollins will entertain Florida Tech at home on Wednesday night at 7:30 and then Saturday the Tars will host Eckerd at 4 PM. Florida Southern will be at Tampa Wednesday before closing out the regular season at home vs Nova Southeastern.

Hot Start not Enough As Falcons Fall in Tournament Preview.

The Notre Dame Falcons got off to a hot start in Canton Saturday but it was not enough as the Falcons fell to the Walsh Cavaliers 86-64. Walsh improved to 27-2 (15-1 AMC) with the win. NDC with the loss fell to 19-10 (11-5).

The Falcons had four players in double figures on the afternoon. Eric Dummermuth and Al Miller dropped in 14 points each. Nick McCartney added 11 and Phil Biggs netted 10. On the day the Falcons shot the ball at a 45.6 percent clip from the field. They were only 4 of 13 from long range. The Falcons struggled at the charity stripe going just 8 of 13 (61.5%).

The Cavaliers were led by Jeremy Shardo who poured in a game high 29 points. Ricky Jackson netted 20 for the Cavaliers. Kyelce Cestaco pulled down 11 rebounds for the Cavaliers. The only blemish thus far on the season in conference for the Cavaliers was a 2 point loss at Cedarville. The Falcons shot 52.4 percent on the game Saturday.

NDC came out of the gates quickly and led 11-2 just a little over four minutes into the game after a jumper by Al Miller. NDC maintained that lead over the next seven and a half minutes. Phil Biggs nailed a jumper with just a little under 8 minutes in the half and the Falcons led 25-16. The Falons went ice cold the rest of the first half and after a 21-2 run to close the half the Cavaliers led at the intermission 37-27.

Walsh was outstanding in all facets of the second half. They shot a sizzling 59.4% from the field. Also Walsh was 50% from three point territory. The Cavaliers led by as many as 24 points. The closest the Falcons would get would be 8 (40-32). NDC and Walsh will do battle again Saturday, February 27th for the AMC championship. The Falcons will carry an eight game home winning streak into that 4 PM tip at Murphy Gym.

Meet the Rollins Tars Three Seniors.

Greg Sweeney Jr.- A native of Cincinnati,OH and Cincinnati St.Xavier High School graduate Sweeney has been with the Tars hoops program since 2005-2006. In his Freshman year (2005-06) Sweeney played in all 32 games for the Tars averaging 3.8 points and 2.4 rebounds a game. Sweeney scored 122 points in 373 minutes. In the 2006-07 season Sweeney also played in all 32 games. He averaged 3.0 points and 2.1 rebounds a game. In 2007-08 Sweeney started 28 games and had a solid season for the Tars. He upped his average to 4.0 points per game. Sweeney played more than 20 minutes a game and shot 53% from three point land. The Cincinnati native scored in double digits three times that season. The last two years have been a rough go for Sweeney. He red shirted in the 2008-2009 season. This year Sweeney saw his season come to an end in the first meeting vs Florida Southern on January 8th when he broke his foot.

Ryan Ferranti- A Miami, Fla. native has become a solid contributor off the Tars bench since transferring from St. Anslem after the 2006-07 season. Ferranti has appeared in 75 games including all 24 this season for the Tars. In the 2007-08 season he averaged 10.4 minutes a game and shot 5 of 17 from long range. Ryan had 53 total points and shot 42 percent from the field that season. Ryan had a solid season last year playing in 23 games. He did not score a bunch only scoring 25 points in 23 games. Ferranti's biggest asset is he is one of the Tars best on the ball defenders. The Miami native has had a solid 2009-10 season and continues to get increased minutes.

Brock Blanchard- A native of Orlando, Fla. and Bishop Moore High School Blanchard has been part of the Tars basketball program since the 2006-07 season. In limited duty in 06-07 Brock shot 40 percent from the field and 100% at the foul line. In the 07-08 season Brock played 9.8 minutes a game and appeared in 25 games. He scored 68 points on that season, 9 treys. He shot 52% from the field that season. In the 08-09 campaign Blanchard appeared in 30 games including 10 starts. He finished that season with 84 points and 54 rebounds. Blanchard has really stepped up his game in the 2009-10 season. He is a key part of the Tars bench and has become one of the Tars most effective three point shooters. Blanchard led the Tars in scoring with 13 points including 3 triples in a two point win over Tampa on Saturday.

Tars Get Big Win At Shark Tank.

The Rollins College Tars went to one of the toughest places to play in the Sunshine State conference and came out with a 76-68 win over the Nova Southeastern Sharks Wednesday at the Don Taft University Center. With the win the Tars remain in first place in the SSC with a 20-4 overall record and 11-2 in the SSC. Myk Brown led the Tars in scoring with 14 points despite going 2 of 15 from the field. Brown was 10 of 13 from the charity stripe. Nikola Baran added 12 points including 3 treys. Nick Wolf netted 12 points and hauled in 9 rebounds after being poked in the eye in the first half.

The Sharks had 3 players tally double numbers. Brain Cahill led the Sharks (13-11 6-8 SSC) with 14 points. Ross Allsop posted a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Alex Gynes added 10.

Sometimes in the Sunshine State Conference you have to win at a place with a lot of quirks. Wednesday night even "Razor The Shark" the Nova Southeastern mascot was impressed with the 8 players that played for Rollins. The Tars shot 45 percent from the field while the Sharks shot at a 43 percent clip. The rebounding battle was dead even at 33 each.

It was Nova that come out hot in the early part of the game. The Sharks took a 7-3 lead three minutes in. Nova would then outscore the Tars 12-7 over the next five minutes in and lead 19-10. The Tars would go on a 9-0 run of their own after a Wolf bucket that tied it at 19. Nova would then open the lead back up to seven again before the Tars would fight back and take a 36-34 halftime lead.

The Tars would have to make a few adjustments at the break. The biggest one was Nick Wolf had to wear goggles after being poked in the eye in the first half. The Tars would start the second stanza by pushing the lead back to 8 at 42-34. The Sharks would not go quietly and would tie the game at 48 with 13 minutes to play.

The two squads would trade buckets then for the next eight minutes until a 9-0 Rollins run woud give the Tars a 64-55 edge. Nova would cut it to two with 2 minutes left but Ryan Ferranti and Brock Blanchard would drain six consecutive free throws to seal the win. With the win the Tars remain 1/2 game ahead of Florida Southern who routed Saint Leo Wednesday. Nick Wolf saw one streak continue for the Tars as he scored double figures for the 58th consecutive game. His string of double-doubles ended at 4. The Tars will be back in action as they will travel to Saint Leo to face the Lions on Saturday. Tip time is 4 PM. St.Leo was the place where Wolf last scored in single digits.

Meet the Notre Dame Falcons Four Seniors!

Cory Emmerine- From Olmsted Falls,OH Emmerine has played two years on the Falcons hoops team. Emmerine has played in 22 games over those two years. Emmerine averages 2.7 points per game off the bench. Cory shot 65% from the floor (23 of 35) and 56.5% from three point land in his NDC career. Emmerine stands at 6 feet tall and weighs 200 pounds. Emmerine played his high school ball and graduated from Olmsted Falls High school. He transferred from Cuyahoga Community College.

Al Miller- Miller has become an integral part of this Falcons squad after transferring from North County CC (Fla.). Miller is a 2004 graduate of West Centennial High School. Miller has played in 37 games including 25 starts over the past two seasons at NDC. Miller has had a very solid Senior season averaging 11.4 points per ball game. He has hit 36% of his three point attempts on the season.

Danny Wright- Wright is a veteran of Notre Dame College. From Collins,OH and a graduate of Western Reserve Academy Wright played all four years on college road. Wright played in 96 games for NDC in his four year career including all 33 his Freshman Year. Wright was the sixth man his Sophomore year and appeared in 28 games. He ranks third in NDC history with 39 blocked shots.

Karim McFarlane- One of three co-captains on the 2009-2010 squad is the Senior from Portmore,Jamiaca. Known as the "Jamaican Sensation" McFarlane is one of the best players in the nine year history of NDC hoops. McFarlane is the all time leader in rebounds (779) and blocked shots (236). He is 3rd on the all time scoring list (1,284 points). McFarlane shot a program record 60.9% from the floor his freshman year. In his career Karim averaged 10.8 points and 6.5 rebounds a game.

McCartney Powers Falcons To North Title!!

Nick McCartney scored 27 points to lead four Notre Dame Falcons in double figures as NDC won their ninth straight at home and clinched the AMC North Division title. The Falcons 19-9 (11-4 AMC) have yet to play the Walsh Cavaliers 26-2 (14-1) but that will all change over the next ten days. The Falcons will finnish their regular season Saturday at Walsh. Next Saturday the Cavaliers and Notre Dame will do battle at Murphy Gym with the American Mideast Conference title on the line. The winner of this game will advance to the NAIA Division two tournament as an automatic qualifier.

NDC had four players tally double numbers on Tuesday night. McCartney was 8 of 12 from the floor, 4 of 7 from long distance and 7-9 at the charity stripe for his 27 points. All four Seniors (Al Miller, Karim McFarlane, Danny Wright and Cory Emmerine saw action on Senior night. Miller scored 12 points on 3 of 10 shooting, but was good on all 6 of his free throw attempts. McFarlane had a solid game just missing a double- double. Karim scored 9 points and snatched ten rebounds. He was 3 of 6 from the floor but struggled at the stripe going 3 of 9. Curtis McLure and Eric Dummermuth also had solid games. Dummermuth posted a double- double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. He was 4-12 from the floor and 4 of 4 at the line. Curtis McLure had 11 points on 5 of 9 shooting. Curtis was just 1 of 6 at the foul line. The Falcons shot 46 percent from the floor (26-56) and 46 percent from beyond the arc (5-11). They were 21-34 (62%) at the line. The Falcons lost the battle on the boards 42-35.

Daemean with the loss fell to 15-12 (7--7 AMC). They tallied three players in double figures. DJ Johnson led the Wildcats with 23 points (16 in the first half). Devon Dawson netted a double- double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Mike Maistro added 13 to round out the Wildcats double digit scorers. Daemen shot 41 percent from the floor (26-64) but struggled from long range going just 5-21 (24%). The Widcats hurt themselves at the charity stripe going just 12-22 (55%).

The Falcons jumped out of the gate quickly in this one. After a Dummermuth hoop five minutes in it was 14-3 NDC. behind a barrage of three's by D.J. Johnson and a couple of hoops from Mike Maistro the Wildcats would storm back to take a 20-18 lead halfway thru the first half. The Falcons would open up a nine point lead after a run of their own. Karim McFarlane would nail a 15 footer to give NDC a 32-23 lead. Daemen would chip away and cut the lead to 3 right before the break. Eric Dummermuth would hit a 8 footer to give the Falcons some momentum and a 38-33 lead going into the locker room.

The Falcons would come out hot in the second half and after a three ball by Dummermuth would get the lead back to ten at 49-39. The Falcons would build upon that lead and Nick McCartney would cap an 11-0 run with a free throw that would make it 62-44 with 9:20 remaining. The Wildcats would then go on a 9-0 run of their own to cut it to 62-53. The Wildcats would battle hard but would get no closer than six the rest of the way as NDC would wrap up the AMC North.

Falcons Hold Off Racers Late.

Led by 27 points from Eric Dummermuth, the Notre Dame Falcons got one step closer to a AMC North division title with a 60-56 win over Northwestern (OH). With the win the Falcons improved to 18-9 and 10-4 in the AMC. The Racers fell to 13-14 and 5-8 in the AMC.

Other than Dummermuth the Falcons had two other players in double figures. Al Miller scored 15 points and Phil Biggs netted 10. Dummermuth led the Falcons on the glass with 15 rebounds. The Falcons shot 52% from the field on the afternoon. NDC struggled from beyond the arc going just 2 of 13. The Falcons also stuggled at the foul line going just 6-11.

The Racers had four players tally double numbers. Kyle Gillette posted a double double with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Josh Vorst netted 15 on just 6-19 shooting. Dustin Guthrie and Geoff Reeder posted ten points each. The Racers shot 35 percent from the field. They were 9 of 28 from distance. The Racers made 7 of 11 free throws. Nothwestern won the battle on the glass 39-34. Each team had ten turnovers.

NDC came out and scored the first four points of the game. The Falcons would stretch the lead to 7 at 15-8 with 12 minutes to go. The Racers would fight back and go on a 9-0 run of their own to go up 17-15 . NDC would score the next 8 and a Biggs hoop would make it 23-17

NDC with 7:18 in the half. The last seven minutes both teams would go cold and after a Al Miller hoop it would be 27-21 Falcons at the break.

The game would be evenly played in the early part of the second half until the Falcons would open up a 11 point lead at 44-33 on a Dummermuth bucket. The Racers would then outscore NDC 22-11 and with 4:52 left after a Gilette jumper the game would be knotted at 55. The Falcons would regain the lead on a pair of Dummermuth short jumpers before Gilette would cut it to two with 1:37 to play. Dummermuth would make a basket and Nick McCartney would seal it with a pair of late free throws to put the Falcons in the drivers seat. Dummermuth would split a pair of free throws and the Falcons would come away with a 64-60 win. The Falcons will be back in action Tuesday night at Murphy gym. It will be Senior night as the Falcons will look to wrap up the AMC North with a win over Daemean. Tip time is set for 8 PM.

Tars rally, survive scare from Tampa!

The Rollins College Tars always seem to get the Tampa Spartans "best shot" and once again Saturday the Tars got all they could handle before defeating Tampa 61-59. The Tars improved to 19-4 on the season and 10-2 in the SSC. Tampa fell to 10-12 overall and 4-9 in the Sunshine State Conference with the loss.

The Tars tallied four players in double figures Saturday. Brock Blanchard matched his season high with 13 points. Matt Robertson and Nikola Baran each netted 12 points while Nick Wolf continued both his streaks Saturday. Wolf posted his fourth consecutive double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Wolf ran his streak of consecutive games in double figures to 57.

Anthony Lebruno led all scorers with 20 points including 5 of 9 from distance. Marcus Morrison just missed a double-double with 12 points and 9 rebounds. Rashaad Calloway rounded out the double digit scorers with 11 for UT.

The Tars and Spartans each shot an identical 41.5 percent for the game. The Tars hit 10 of 22 from long range and the Spartans went 12 of 33 from beyond the arc. The Tars won a close battle on the glass 34-33. Tampa only got to the foul line 3 times but made good on all three. The Tars were only 7 of 14 at the stripe.

The Spartans jumped out to a early 10-3 lead in the first 5 minutes. The Tars would answer though with a 16-2 run to go up 19-12. Tampa would go on a run of their own to cut the Tars lead to one late in the first half. The Tars would go up 30-28 going into the intermission.

The Spartans would come out sizzling and open up a 12 point lead at 46-34. Rollins would then catch fire from beyond the arc. Nikola Baran would bury three consecutive treys and after a triple by Blanchard the Tars would have a 54-52 lead with four minutes to go. Tampa would tie it on a Lebron hoop before Wolf would give the Tars a two point lead. A Lebruno triple would make it 57-56 Tampa late. Brock Blanchard would hit a pair of free throws to give RC a 58-57 lead with 57 seconds to go. Calloway would give the Spartans the lead back with a floater. The Tars would go to last year's conference player of the year Wolf and a layup would give the Tars a 1 point lead with 17 seconds left. A Calloway turnover and a free throw by Wolf would seal it for the Tars. Rollins remains atop the Sunshine State conference. Florida Southern is at Lynn on Saturday night. The Tars will be back in action Wednesday as they travel to the "Shark Tank" to battle Nova Southeastern. Tip time set for 730 PM.

Balance Is Key in Tars Win At Barry.

The Rollins College Tars stayed a top the Sunshine State Conference standings Wednesday night with a hard fought 70-59 win over Barry in Miami Shores,Fla. With the win the Tars improved to 18-4 overall and 9-2 in the SSC while the Buccaneers dropped to 14-8 (5-6 SSC).

The Tars playing without Greg Sweeney (broken foot) as well as Brett Chance (Shoulder) only have nine healthy bodies but all nine scored in the win Wednesday. Nick Wolf led all scorers pouring in 23 points and completed his third straight double-double with 13 rebounds. Wolf has now scored in double figures in 56 consecutive games. Matt Robertson scored 11 points for Rollins and Ryan Ferrnanti gave the Tars a huge lift off the bench recording four points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Tony Dennison led Barry with 17 points and seven rebounds. Zach Trapp and Willie Whitfield netted ten points with Whitfield grabbing seven rebounds.

Rollins shot 49 percent from the field and hit 8 treys while holding Barry to just one three pointer and 38 percent shooting. The Tars were out rebounded 35-31.

Rollins jumped out to a 5-0 lead early before the Buccaneers would tally the next 6 points to claim the lead. The lead would change hands one more time and after a spark by Barry they would lead 21-14. The Tars would fight back though. After a Alex Castillo tip in, a Ian Scott jumper and a Ferranti second chance hoop the Tars would get to within one at 23-22 with 4:19 in the half. After a Nick Wolf reverse layup right before the intermission the Tars would trail 30-29 going into the break.

The Tars would claim the lead about a minute into the half on a Julian Wilkison jumper. A pair of Dennison free throws would give Barry a one point lead early in the second half. Matt Robertson would drain a triple and the Tars would not look back the rest of the way. The Tars would lead by as many as 15 and the Buccaneers would get no closer than 9. With the win Wednesday the Tars have now beaten every team in the Sunshine State Conference this season. Rollins has split the season series with both Barry and Florida Southern. The Tars retain a half game lead over Southern in the conference. The Mocs were OT winners at Eckerd on Wednesday. The Tars will be back in action on Saturday when they welcome the Tampa Spartans to Warden Arena. Tip time is slated for 4 PM.

Falcons End Tough Road trip With OT Defeat.

The Notre Dame Falcons will be happy to get back to College Park on Thursday night. The Falcons finished their latest road swing at 0-3 after falling in overtime to Roberts Wesleyan 72-66 on Tuesday. With the win the Raiders improved to 14-10 (7-6 AMC). The Falcons dropped to 17-9 (9-4).

Roberts Wesleyan was led by three players in double figures. Justin Andreozzi led the way with 18 points. Rashaad Stokelin netted 16 while Dan Foley chipped in 11. The Raiders shot 42 percent from the field and 35 percent from beyond the arc. Wesleyan struggled at the charity stripe going 15-24 (63%).

NDC had a pair of players in double figures. Eric Dummermuth notched another double-double pouring in a game high 25 points and snagging 12 rebounds. Al Miller was the only other Falcons in double numbers with 18 points. Nick McCartney did return after missing one game with a finger injury but he was just 2 of 11 from the floor and scored 7 points. NDC shot 34% from the field. The Falcons really struggled from three point land going just 3 of 15. The blue and white were a solid 15 of 18 from the foul line and won the battle of the boards 49-41.

The game started out even for the first 6+ minutes. After a nearly three minute drought by both teams it was the Falcons who went on a 7-0 run and took a 21-14 lead with just over 7 minutes in the half on a Al Miller triple. NDC would stretch that lead to 10 on a free throw by Dummermuth that would make it 26-16 with 4:56 in the first stanza. Wesleyan would chip away and cut it to 3 but the Falcons would score the last four points of the half to take a 32-25 lead into the half.

NDC would get the first bucket of the second half but then Wesleyan would score the next 11 points and after a Andreozzi jumper the Raiders would take a 36-34 lead. The game would then have 4 ties, then Wesleyan would take a three point lead before the next four points would go to NDC and they would lead 49-48 with 5:15 to go. NDC would lead by 3 then the Raiders would run off the next 5 straight. Eric Dummermuth's jumper with a 1:04 to go would tie it at 54. Both teams would have a chance to win at the end of regulation but both Miller and Andreozzi would miss jumpers in the last minute. The Raiders would take control in the OT. RWC would score the first 7 points of the extra session and after a pair of free throws by Jordan Heath would lead 61-54 with 2:30 to go. NDC would get as close as 1 on a Miller free throw but the Raiders would outscore them 7-2 in the waning minutes to hold on for the 72-66 win. NDC will be back in action Thursday as they look to snap the losing streak against Ohio State Newark in a non conference game at Murphy Gym. Note that tip time is set for 7:30 and not the usual 8 PM tip.

Mocs Stop Tars Win Streak at 8.

Some times in the world of college basketball you just catch a team on the wrong night. That is exactly what happened to the Rollins Tars on Saturday. The result was a 90-69 loss in front of 1,885 people at the Jenkins Field House on the campus of Florida Southern. The Mocs were coming off their worst loss of the season, a OT loss at the hands of Florida Tech on Wednesday. The Tars had won 8 straight and rolled into the game a top the Sunshine State Conference standings. The Mocs obviously a little extra rev ed up on All- American night at Southern came out firing and never looked back. Rion Rayfield hit back to back threes to start the game and before you could blink after a Terry Jenkins trey the Mocs led 15-2. Myk Brown and Ian Scott hit trey's of their own to cut the Southern lead to 18-10. Rayfield and Brandon Jenkins would hit a pair of trifectas and the Mocs would be rolling again. The Tars would score the next four points on a pair of Ryan Ferranti free throws and a bucket by Brown to make it 25-16. The Mocs put together a big run at the end of the first half but the big moment shifter would come with 5:33 in the half. Tom Klussman would be hit with a pair of technicals and be tossed from the game. Rion Rayfied would make six consecutive free throws and the Mocs would take a 22 point lead into the intermission. The Tars could get no closer than 11 in the second half and the Mocs would roll to the 90-69 win.

Southern would be led by five players in double figures on the night. John Thomson led the way with 20 points to go along with 8 rebounds. Damon Ellison chipped in 17 off the bench. Rion Rayfield and Brandon Jenkins each netted 15. Terry Jenkins had 14 to go along with 10 assists. The Mocs were 32-58 (52.5%) from the field. They were a steaming 13 of 28 (46.4%) from beyond the arc. The Mocs hit 13 of 15 free throws on the night. With the win the eleventh ranked Mocs improve to 19-3 overall and 8-3 in the Sunshine State Conference.

With the loss the Tars fell to 17-4 (8-2 SSC). The Tars had three players in double figures. Nick Wolf had 17 to lead the way along with 10 rebounds. It was Wolf's second consecutive double-double and 55th consecutive game scoring in double figures. Last time Wolf did not score in double figures was in February of 2007 at Saint Leo. Matt Robertson netted 13 points and Myk Brown had 11 despite battling foul trouble all evening. The Tars shot 24-54 (44.4%) from the floor on the night. Rollins normally a very good three point shooting team struggled Saturday night going just 5 of 19 (26.3%). The Tars hit 16 of 23 from the charity stripe (69.6%). RC was crushed on the boards 35-25. The Tars will look to bounce back Wednesday night when they travel to Miami Shores to battle the Barry Buccaneers. Tip time is set for 7:30. Barry handed the Tars their only other loss in SSC play.

Jackets Sting Falcons For Second Straight Loss.

The Cedarville Yellow Jackets 17-8 (9-2 AMC) bested the Notre Dame Falcons 17-8 (9-3 AMC) 92-81 at the Callahan Athletic Center on Saturday night. With the win the Yellow Jackets stayed one game in back of Walsh for the lead in the AMC South. The Falcons still sit a top the AMC North. Cedarville was led by four players in double figures on the evening. Ricardo Alliman had a sensational game going 10 of 11 from the floor scoring 25 points as well as hauling down 15 rebounds. Chris Beal netted 21 points including 5 of 7 from the three point line. Austin Foote posted a 19 point effort and Matt Harner scored 13. The Yellow Jackets shot 55% from the field (33 of 60) and a sizzling 12-22 (54.5%) from three point land. Cedarville only committed 7 turnovers in the game.

The Falcons who were playing without second leading scorer Nick McCartney (reason not available at post time) were led by Eric Dummermuth. Dummermuth led three Falcons in double digits on the night. The Sophomore from Dover,OH had 28 points to go along with 8 rebounds. Al Miller continued his solid play of late scoring 16 points on 6 of 9 shooting. Phil Biggs rounded out the double-digit scorers for NDC with 10 points. The Falcons shot 25-52 (48.1%) from the floor. The blue and white were also a solid 7 of 10 from three point land. NDC committed 9 miscues. The Falcons won the battle of the boards 32-31.

The Falcons would come out of the gate early and take a 12-6 lead 5 and a half minutes in after Phil Biggs split a pair of free throws. Cedarville would fight back and take a 21-19 lead on a conventional three point play by Ricardo Alliman with 10:19 in the half. NDC would briefly reclaim the lead on a Cameron Carlin trey but Cedarville would get the lead right back. After a triple by Austin Foote the Yellow Jackets would have a 7 point lead (32-25) with 6:23 in the half. Another Foote trey three minutes later would stretch the Cedarville lead to 45-31 with 2:43 in the half. Notre Dame would get the lead back to single digits on another three by Carlin with 44 seconds left in the half but Chris Beal would answer with a trey of his own and after a Zach Jacobson free throw it would be 53-42 Jackets at the halftime break.

Cedarville would score the first four points of the second stanza and after a Alliman dunk the Jackets lead would be back to 15. NDC would go on a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to 9 on a Al Miller jumper but Chris Beal would hit another three for Cedarville to get the lead back to double digits. After a Alliman layup 5 minutes into the second half Cedarville would have it's biggest lead of the game at 17. NDC would have a few chances the rest of the way but could not get the lead inside double digits as the Yellow Jackets would go on to the 92-81 win. NDC will be back in action Tuesday night when they travel to Roberts Wesleyan (NY). Tip time is slated for 8 PM.

Tars Reel In SailFish.

Wednesday night at the Alfond Sports Center on the campus of Rollins College is what many people would refer to as a "trap" game. The Tars were coming off a hard fought 67-62 win over Lynn on Saturday and have a HUGE battle with the Florida Southern Mocs on the road this coming Saturday. The Tars took care of business though disposing of the Sailfish 65-45 at Warden Arena. The Mocs playing at Florida Tech fell into "the trap" losing to the Panthers in overtime. The Panthers were without leading scorer Justin Sedlak who was sick Wednesday. The Tars improved to 17-3 on the year with a non-conference win Wednesday. Four Rollins players scored double figures on the day. Myk Brown led the way with 15 points, Nick Wolf posted another double- double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Matt Robertson and Julian Wilkison netted 10 points each for the conference leading Tars.

The Sailfish dropped to 2-20 on the season. PBA only had one player Johnathan Lawrence in double figures with 10. Matt Roy chipped in 7 and Ross Hunter added 6 points and 8 rebounds for the Sailfish.

The Tars shot 53% on the night while the Sailfish were 19 of 59 (20%). The Tars edged the Sailfish on the boards 33-32 while each team had 15 miscues.

The Tars never trailed in the game. It would be 17-8 Tars to start the game in the first seven minutes. PBA would cut the lead to 5 (19-14) with 8 minutes in the half but the Tars would finish the half strong. Rollins would take a 32-17 lead into the intermission. PBA would get the lead down to single digits (39-30) with 14:26 to go but that is as close as they would get. The Tars would open up their largest lead of the game at 24 (60-36) with 4 minutes to go and roll to the 65-45 win. The Tars will be back in action Saturday night at the Jenkins Field house to take on the second place Mocs of Florida Southern. Tip time is set for 7:30.

Higgins, Pioneers Turn Back Falcons.

Kyle Higgins hit back to back treys in the final minutes of the ball game and the Malone Pioneers turned back the Notre Dame Falcons 56-55 on Tuesday night in Canton. With the win Malone improved to 11-12 overall (7-4 AMC). The Falcons dropped to 17-7 (9-2). Two Malone players tallied double figures on the evening. Eric Coblentz led the way with 16 for the Pioneers, while Higgins chipped in 12 on 4 trey's including the one that turned out to be the game winner. Coblentz added 5 assists. The Pioneers only shot 35% (20 of 58) from the floor. They were 9 of 29 (31%) from three point land. The Pioneers were 7 of 10 at the charity stripe.

The Falcons really struggled shooting the ball. NDC was only 6 of 23 from the field in the first half and shot 33% (16 of 48) from the floor. The Falcons would only go 2 of 10 from long range. The Falcons had three players in double digits. Eric Dummermuth led the way with 17 points and 14 rebounds for the blue and white. Nick McCartney added 14 and Al Miller chipped in 13 for the Falcons. NDC would only get 2 points off their bench in the game (a bucket by Will Townsend).

Malone would get off to a quick start. Higgins would drain a trey to account for the first points of the game 49 seconds in. The Pioneers would open a 10 point lead at 14-4 five minutes later after a layup by Jock Rottman with 13:49 in the half. The Falcons would cut the lead to 6 (17-11) with 10:29 to go on a transition jumper by Townsend. Malone would keep the lead at double digits briefly. NDC would fight back and cut it to 5 (27-22) at the halftime break. Malone would score the first 5 points of the second stanza to stretch the lead back out to ten. After Phil Biggs split a pair of free throws the Falcons were back within 5 (32-27) with 16:50 remaining. Four minutes later after a Jock Rottman foul shot the Pioneers lead was back to ten. The Falcons would then go on a 10-0 run and after a pair of Nick McCartney free throws the game would be knotted at 43 with just under 7 minutes remaining. Eric Cloblentz would hit a bucket for Malone but NDC would answer. Al Miller's three ball would give NDC a 46-45 lead with 5:10 to go. After Nick McCartney split a pair of free throws and Eric Dummermuth hit a basket the Falcons looked to be in control up 49-45 with just over 4 minutes left. Higgins would hit a three for the Pioneers but then Miller would answer with a hoop for the Falcons to stretch the lead back to 3. After a Malone hoop once again made it a 1 point game McCartney would drain a pair of free throws to make it 53-50 NDC with 2:33 to go. With 2:02 remaining Higgins would drain a three for the Pioneers to deadlock the game at 53. Another trifecta by Higgins with 1:21 to go would prove to be the game winner. Al Miller would make a jumper with just over a minute left to cut the Pioneers lead to 1. Notre Dame would have one last chance but a McCartney jumper would be off the mark as time expired. The Falcons will be back in action Saturday as they will travel to Cedarville. Tip time is set for 7:30.