Balanced Attack Leads Tampa Past Rollins

TAMPA, Fla. – Behind another commanding performance from Ryan Blount and a series of clutch second‑half runs, the Tampa Spartans held off the Rollins Tars for an 88–81 Sunshine State Conference victory Saturday afternoon at the Bob Martinez Athletics Center. The win is the third in a row for Tampa.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP

Final: Tampa 88, Rollins 81
Records: Tampa (13–10, 7–9 SSC), Rollins (13–12, 7–10 SSC)
Location: Bob Martinez Athletics Center | Tampa, Fla.

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Half

Rollins jumped ahead early behind strong perimeter shooting, grabbing a 6–4 advantage before Tampa settled in offensively. Justin Taylor got the Spartans going with a layup, while Camden McCormick added a pair of free throws to push Tampa ahead 4–3. Both sides exchanged baskets through the early minutes, with Rollins' Mayson Quartlebaum and Jah Nze providing most of the Tars' offense.

Tampa began to gain momentum midway through the period. A three from Taylor followed by a layup from B.J. Schaeffer shifted the advantage back to the Spartans. Moments later, Blount added a pair of free throws and a layup as Tampa began to dictate tempo.

The Spartans' defensive pressure created several Rollins turnovers, allowing Tampa to get out in transition. Trey Lane closed the half with back‑to‑back layups, giving the Spartans a 38–34 lead heading into the break.

Second Half

Rollins opened the second half with a quick score, but Tampa immediately answered as Ryan Blount knocked down two free throws to keep the Spartans in front. From there, the pace intensified.

Lane converted a transition layup off a steal, and Justin Taylor drilled a mid‑range jumper to extend the lead. Rollins momentarily surged back with a trio of three‑pointers, grabbing a 45–44 advantage, but the momentum swung again when Blount responded with a three of his own.

Both teams traded leads through a tightly contested middle stretch—42 lead changes in total—before Tampa delivered the decisive push. Ben Southerland provided a critical burst, sinking a three-pointer and later finishing a fast‑break dunk to move Tampa ahead 78–73.

Blount closed out the afternoon at the foul line, sinking six free throws in the final two minutes. Lane added two more in the closing seconds to secure the 88–81 victory. Tampa's combination of defensive pressure, timely shooting, and dominance at the free‑throw line (33–46) proved too much for the Tars to overcome.

INSIDE THE STATS

Ryan Blount: 21 pts, 7 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl
Trey Lane: 20 pts, 0 reb, 0 ast, 3 stl
Camden McCormick: 6 pts, 4 reb, 1 ast
Justin Taylor: 15 pts, 2 reb, 0 ast, 2 stl
Ben Southerland: 11 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl
B.J. Schaeffer: 7 pts, 1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl

TEAM STATS

Field Goal Percentage: 46% (23–50)
Three‑Point Percentage: 35% (9–26)
Free Throws: 72% (33–46)
Rebounds: 26
Points off Turnovers: 23
Points in the Paint: 26
Fastbreak Points: 14
Bench Points: 25

UP NEXT

Tampa hosts Lynn on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., at the Martinez Center.