weekly_010106

WEEKLY ATHLETIC SCHEDULE

Wednesday, January 4

Swimming at Daytona Invitational – Daytona Beach, Fla. – All Day
Men's Basketball vs. Saint Leo – Alfond S.C. - *** NEW TIME*** 3:30 P.M.
Women's Basketball vs. Saint Leo – Alfond S.C. – 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, January 7

Swimming vs. Wingate/Westminster – Alfond pool – 1 p.m.
Women's Basketball vs. Eckerd - Alfond S.C. – 2 p.m.
Men's Basketball vs. Eckerd – Alfond S.C. – 4 p.m.

Local product Isaac Codrey showed he is 100 percent healed from a preseason injury as the junior led the Tars to a pair of victories and the 2005 Winter Park Rotary Tangerine Tournament championship. A 6-7 forward from Lake Howell High School, Codrey came off the bench and poured in a team best 15 points on 6-9 shooting from the field in the Tars tournament-opening win over New Jersey Tech. In the championship game the following day against Hillsdale, he rolled up 11 points and pulled down six rebounds en route to a spot on the All-Tournament team. In seven games this season, Codrey is averaging 6.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while connecting on almost 50 percent from the floor.

The Rollins men's basketball team displayed fire and tenacity and are primed for the Sunshine State Conference season after capturing the championship of the 31 st annual Winter Park Rotary Tangerine Tournament last week. Rollins downed a pesky New Jersey Tech team 67-57 in their opener before taking care of Hillsdale 81-65 in the title game. The championship was the Tars 11 th in the tournament's illustrious history.

Against NJIT, junior forward Isaac Codrey (Winter Park, Fla./Lake Howell) was a force to be reckoned with as he led the Tars in scoring with 15 points on the night. Sophomore point guard Jonny Reibel (Chicago, Ill./Hoffman Estates) filled up the stat sheet as usual. Reibel pumped in 14 points on 5-11 shooting, grabbed five rebounds, and dished out five assists. Junior guard John Thinnes (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) also had a good night as he finished with 11 points on 3-5 shooting from downtown. Sophomore forward Chauncey Gibbs (West Palm Beach, Fla./Cardinal Newman) continued to show growth and strength as he grabbe

d a game high six rebounds and scored nine points.

Rollins tried to create some separation between themselves and Tech in the first few minutes of the second half after playing to a 30-29 Rollins halftime lead. But with 13:45 to play in the game, the Tars found themselves up only one at 43-42. However, over the next eight minutes of play the Tars started to wear down the Highlander defense. When Greg Sweeney (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier) put in a lay up with 6:39 to go, the Tars led 55-46. A late three pointer by Thinnes put the Tars up for good at 66-57. And Rollins would go on to win 67-57.

The Tars did a fantastic job on the boards. Rollins out-rebounded Tech 39 to 23. The Tars were even tougher on the offensive glass where they grabbed a 17-4advantage. That in turn led to Rollins' 17-5 advantage in second chance points. The Tars settled down after a rough first half. Rollins committed 14 first half turnovers and still held the lead. The Tars were able to limit themselves to only three turnovers in the second half.

The next day brought the championship game and more of the same from the scrappy Tars as they took the tournament title with an 881-65 win over Hillsdale. Rollins had a season high five players in double digits. Junior guard Deon Troupe led a very balanced scoring attack with 14 points on 5-10 shooting. Junior center Jordan Kolosey, junior forward Jon Smith, and junior forward Isaac Codrey all netted 11 points for the Tars. Smith also grabbed a season high nine rebounds. Jonny Reibel did a terrific job distributing the basketball as he finished with nine assists and nine points on three of four shooting from three point range.

Isaac Codrey and Jonny Reibel were both named to the All-Tournament team. Jonny Reibel was named the tournament's MVP. For the tournament, Codrey averaged 13 points and five rebounds. Reibel averaged 12 points, seven assists, and three boards per game.

The game began with the Chargers firing right out of the gate. Hillsdale buried their first four three pointers in the beginning two minutes of the first half to put themselves up 12-2. Rollins answered right back over the next five minutes and the Tars took a five point lead by pushing the tempo. Rollins continued to keep the pressure on the Chargers and with 7:52 left in the first half, Jonny Reibel hit his second straight three pointer to give the Tars a 32-24 lead. But the Chargers would wiggle their way back in and cut the lead to two with just under two minutes to go. Rollins went in at the half up 45-39.

The teams continued to trade baskets for the first five minutes of the second. The Chargers pulled to within one on a Cory Coe jumper with just under 14 minutes to play. But the Tars were able to push the lead back into double digits over the next five minutes of play. Greg Sweeney's three pointer with ten minutes to play put the Tars up 61-51. The Tars would grind it out from there forcing the Chargers into bad shots and poor decisions with the basketball. The Tars would hold Hillsdale off and win by double digits 81-65.

Coach Klusman and the Rollins coaching staff utilized their bench to perfection once again. The Tars bench doubled up the output of the Chargers bench 26 to 13. The Tars also did a great job on the boards and in the paint for the second straight night. Rollins out-rebounded Hillsdale 41-34, and the Tars owned the paint by scoring 38 points inside to the Chargers' 18.

Rollins will dive straight into their Sunshine State Conference schedule with a match-up against Saint Leo on January 4 with game time set for 3:30 p.m. The Lions enter the game 4-8 on the year and are in the midst of a five game losing streak. Their last game was a 94-85 home loss to West Virginia Tech on December 30.

The Rollins women's basketball team jumped up three spots to 13 th in the latest USA TODAY ESPN Division II Coaches' Poll. The Tars received 295 points for the second straight week and are just 31 points out of the nation's top 10.

Washburn University (Kan.) received 22 first place votes and is atop the poll at 9-0, followed by the University of North Dakota – Grand Forks and Drury University (Mo.).

Rollins sits at 9-0 overall and 1-0 in Sunshine State Conference play through the first two months of the season. The Tars have dominated almost every opponent on the year, winning by an average of 27.3 points per game. As has been the case under head coach Glenn Wilkes, Jr., defense is the key to the Tars success as they are surrendering just 49.4 points per game. Senior Joslyn Giles (Winter Haven, Fla./Winter Haven) has owned the interior, putting up 18.1 points, which is tops in the SSC, while also gathering 7.6 boards per game. Fellow forward Larissa McDonough (Ormond Beach Fla./Father Lopez) is sixth in the conference in scoring, pouring in 13.8 a game.

Senior forward Joslyn Giles was featured in the “Faces in the Crowd” section of the Dec. 26-Jan. 2 issue of Sports Illustrated . The magazine states: “Giles, a senior forward at Rollins College, has led the Tars to a 9-0 start, averaging a team high 18.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 27.3 minutes per game. She scored 22 points with 10 rebounds and four steals in the team's first conference victory of the season, over Florida Tech”

The Rollins women's basketball team will get back into action on Wednesday, January 4 against Saint Leo in Winter Park. After beginning the season 3-0, the Lady Lions have dropped eight straight, most recently falling to Mars Hill 87-57 in the Florida Southern Tournament last week.

After a long holiday break, the Rollins men's and women's swim team will get back into the pool this week at the Daytona Invitational on Wednesday, January 4.

Sponsorship is needed for the Tars men's and women's basketball broadcasts on WPRK 91.5. If you are interested, please contact Sports Information Director Nate Weyant at nweyant@rollins.edu or 407-646-2661.