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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern men’s basketball team (11-13, 5-9 SSC) will play its final road game of the regular season Wednesday, as the Sharks take on the Lynn Fighting Knights (13-13, 6-8 SSC) in Boca Raton, Fla. at 7:30 p.m. The game will broadcast live on 640 sports.
The contest will pit two teams trying to avoid being the eighth and last seed in the Sunshine State Conference Tournament. The Sharks currently rank a game behind the Fighting Knights, with a win putting them in a tie at 6-9. In the final weekend of the regular season, the Fighting Knights will have to travel to Eckerd while the Sharks host Rollins. NSU has the more favorable matchup, as Eckerd will be playing for a share of the conference championship, while Rollins has lost four of its last five games.
“I’m more concerned with our mental approach to Wednesday’s game at Lynn than anything else,” said head coach Gary Tuell. “Obviously Lynn is going to bring their best effort. It’s Senior Night for five graduating seniors who have meant a lot to their program and we expect them to be emotional and give their best effort. But that’s nothing new when you face Lynn. They almost always play hard and with great emotion. They’re very quick, very fast and very good. They present a lot of difficult matchups for us defensively. This game is both a huge challenge for us from an X and O standpoint, and also a huge opportunity for us in terms of helping ourselves in the conference standings.
“On the other hand, we’ve been very flat emotionally the past few games, especially at Saint Leo on Saturday. That had to be one of the most lopsided 12-point games I’ve ever been involved with because we were never in the game. We came out of the Saint Leo game thinking we just got an old-fashioned butt-kicking, but when we looked at the film I would say our problems had more to do with poor execution on both ends of the floor than anything else. We were extremely well-prepared and the things we wanted to do and planned to do were there for us, but we didn’t execute or finish plays. By the same token, we thought our effort was good enough at the time, but looking at film I’d question our effort as well as our execution. We certainly did not play anywhere near our capabilities.”
The Sharks took their most decisive conference loss of the season Saturday when they lost to Saint Leo, 61-49. The game was not as close as the score indicated, as the Lions led by as much as 28 points with 12 minutes remaining. Had the Sharks not shot a perfect 10-for-10 at the free throw line, they may not have scored more than the program’s all-time low point total of 45. NSU will have to rebound against a Fighting Knight team that defeated the Sharks, 82-67, on Jan. 18.
“So the first question for us Wednesday is how to defend their speed, quickness and athleticism,” stated Tuell. “And perhaps a more important second question is whether or not our guys will match Lynn’s effort and emotion? Then finally, how do we get our guys back to executing and playing hard the way we’ve done most of this season? I know they’re tired and I know it’s a long season, but most of that stuff is mental, not physical. Everybody plays the same 26-game schedule, everybody has some fatigue and injuries, but mature, tough people play through that. If you love ball, then you embrace the opportunities and the moments and your love for the game shows up in your performance.”
The Sharks have an all-time record of 10-17 against Lynn. The last time the Sharks played on the road against the Fighting Knights was in a 78-69 win on Jan. 15, 2011.
Robert Huntington (Sr., Perth, Australia) had a solid night with 13 points and eight rebounds.
“There are a lot of guys playing at all levels of college basketball today that love being on a team, but when times are tough and they have to dig deep, they come up empty,” said Tuell. “Those are the guys who love telling people they’re on the basketball team, but they don’t necessarily love ball enough to find that second gear and kick down the doors and obstacles in front of them. We need to find out who on our team loves ball and wants to kick, scratch, claw and fight through the mental fatigue and rediscover the joy of playing ball. We could have some fun in the next two weeks or we could repeat our performance at Saint Leo. It’s really up to our players.”
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HERE. Live stats will also be available
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