BOX SCORE

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – In the 2011-12 season opener, and debut of head coach LeAnn Freeland, the Nova Southeastern women’s basketball team (0-1) battled a tough Valdosta State (1-0) squad, but to the Sharks fell to the Blazers, 53-48, despite 18 points from Danielle Robinson (Fr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and a strong late comeback.
 
The Sharks got their first point of the season from sophomore Jasmine Wilkins (Miami, Fla.), as she converted on her first free throw attempt of the season. Valdosta State then went on an eight-point run through the next five minutes before Richelle Carach (So. Naples, Fla.) was able to drop in a layup for NSU.
 
The Blazers continued to capitalize on NSU turnovers and extended their lead to 13 points, 20-7, just over half way through the half. Out of the media timeout, Jessica Russi (So., Lake Mary, Fla.) was able to finish off a fast break after a Meixandra Porter (Jr., Chantilly, Va.) steal.
 
Danielle Robinson (Fr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) cut the Sharks’ deficit to single digits, converting a pair of free throws with just under eight minutes left in the opening half. On the defensive end, Quinessa Johnson (Sr., West Chester, Ohio) stood her ground and took a charge and then sank a pair of free throws on NSU’s next possession to close the gap to five, 20-15.
 
Amber Bond put a stop to the Sharks' eight-point run after she knocked down two free throws with 5:08 remaining in the half. Sczeny Hartry pushed the lead back to 10 for the Blazers a couple possessions later, dropping in her first 3-pointer of the game.
 
Just as soon as VSU was beginning to pull away, the Sharks responded with four consecutive free throws to get back within six, 25-19, with three minutes left in the first. Taylor Kramer (Fr., Fort Myers, Fla.) then picked up another charge for the Sharks, which led to a Danielle Robinson trey on the other end and made the score 25-22, the closest NSU had been since the early stages of the half.
 
The Blazers ended the half on a 7-0 run, capped by an old-fashioned three-point play from Bena Hanyard with under a second left on the clock. Hanyard led all scorers in the half with eight points, shooting 2-of-2 from the field and 4-of-5 from the free throw line. Wilkins paced the Sharks with five points on 2-of-4 shooting.
 
Hartry hit her second 3-pointer of the contest to begin the second-half scoring at the 18:20 mark. Hartry followed with a jumper and a layup. Her seven points gave VSU a 39-22 lead, as NSU used a timeout at the 14:55 mark, having gone scoreless over seven minutes going back the 2:15 mark in the first half.
 
Russi snapped the scoreless skid for the Sharks with 14:18 remaining in the game, converting a layup from the left block. Jada Buckner scored her first bucket of the game with 12:16 left on the clock to bring NSU within 12, 39-27, Hartry and Brittany Ferguson converted baskets for the Blazers, pushing the VSU lead back to 16.
 
Robinson became the first Shark to reach double-figure scoring, nailing her second trey of the game after a media timeout at 9:33. After Robinson recorded two more points, Wilkins rejected a Maylisa Johnson layup attempt with just under 7:30 remaining and the Sharks trailing 45-32.
 
Wilkins was then able to reduce the VSU lead to nine, 45-36, after laying in a great outlet pass from Russi with five minutes left to play. Robinson continued the NSU comeback, converting a layup off an inbounds pass from under the Sharks’ hoop.

The Sharks were within six with just under 25 seconds to play when they forced a five-second violation from the Blazers to retake possession of the ball. Porter drilled a 3-pointer to slash the deficit in half, 51-48, and get NSU within one possession of knotting the game. The Blazers held on though, as Jordan Waugh sealed the game with a pair of free throws with 2.6 seconds left, giving VSU a 53-48 season-opening victory.

In the end the Sharks shot 37.2 percent from the field and 3-for-12 from the 3-point line. Wilkins led the team with seven rebounds while posting eight points and three steals. Porter and Russi each had team-high three assists and three steals each.

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