The Spartans (12-7, 5-4 SSC) avenged a January overtime loss to conference rival Rollins by capitalizing on a 16-0 run in the second half to cruise to a 72-56 victory over the Tars Saturday afternoon, handing Rollins (16-6, 8-3 SSC) just its third conference loss of the season.

The Spartans took a 32-26 lead to halftime, capped off by a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Rashad Callaway at the end of the first half.

Coach Richard Schmidt’s team took that momentum into the second half, where they went on a remarkable 16-0 run that lasted seven minutes and thirty-three seconds.
‘We need to keep playing hard all the time, and that’s what we’ve really worked hard on this year,’ said Coach Schmidt following the game.

Both Schmidt and senior guard Jonathan Ball viewed the victory as vindicating, as the Spartans had lost to Rollins 70-64 in overtime on the road on January 10.

‘Since I’ve been playing [here], I’d never lost to Rollins so that was a big deal to me,’ Ball, who led the Spartan attack with 17 points (15 of which were scored in the second half) while shooting 7 of 12 from the floor, stated after the game.

Ball also commented on the team’s chemistry finally reaching the level they have been seeking to attain all season long.

‘The team is finally really clicking the way that we want. Everybody’s getting along, the energy’s good.’

Ryan Burkett can be reached at rburkett@ut.edu.

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