Live RC Video |
Live NSU Audio | Live Stats
Game Notes
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The No. 4 Nova Southeastern women's basketball team looks to hold on to first place in conference play with five games to go, the first a tough matchup on the road versus No. 18 Rollins on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Winter Park, Fla.
The Sharks (20-1, 10-1 SSC) had no trouble with their latest victory, taking care of Lynn at home, 94-55. They had five players in double digits, while point guard
Jessica Russi (Sr., Lake Mary, Fla.) had 13 assists, setting the school's new single-season mark in the process and reclaiming first place in the nation at 8.6 per game.
The win keeps NSU a half-game ahead of 10-2 Tampa in the SSC standings, while Rollins (20-4, 9-3 SSC) lurks just a game behind that. With the exception of a loss to the Sharks on Jan. 18 and Tampa on Feb. 5, the Tars have otherwise been spotless in 10 games in the calendar year. They've won 12 out of 14 overall, the last two coming at Eckerd (69-64) and at home against Florida Tech (71-61).
Rollins has one of the nation's stingiest defenses, only giving up 57.0 points a game (fifth-best in DII), while opponents shoot 33.6 percent against them (second). Conversely, the Sharks' offense is among the best in both categories, at 83.7 points (third) and 48.8 shooting (first).
The Sharks continue to be successful from behind the arc, ranking second in the nation in 3-pointers per game (9.3) and 15th in percentage (37.5). Rollins held them to a 3-of-17 mark in their first meeting, the lowest amount of makes and second-lowest percentage the Sharks have had this season.
In that earlier matchup, in Fort Lauderdale, NSU was held to 63 points (their lowest at the time and second-lowest this season), but shot 12 percent above the average Rollins was allowing at the time (42.3 percent compared to 30.2, which was first in all of DII). The Tars led that matchup by 10 with 14:33 to go, but a 13-3 Shark run tied it up at 50-50. After eight straight Rollins points, it was an 11-2 NSU run to give them the lead for good.
Two free throws by
Danielle Robinson (Jr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) in that 11-2 run pushed her to exactly 1,000 in her career. Two more free throws from her with three seconds left provided the final 63-60 margin, as Rollins was unable to get a shot off before the final horn sounded. She had 10 points and eight rebounds,
Jasmine Wilkins (R-Jr., Miami) had a double-double of 13 points and 11 boards, and
Taylor Buie (So., Puyallup, Wash.) led the Sharks with 14 points.
The Tars were led in scoring by Sarah Taylor that afternoon, with 16, and she's their leading scorer on the year at 13.1 per game. She was named the SSC Player of the Week for the week prior to Feb. 3, and has scored in double digits in each of her last 10 games, highlighted by a career-best 26 in a win at Saint Leo. Sarah Blackburn averages 11.3 points per game and 8.4 rebounds, the latter mark tying for best in the conference.
Tipoff from Winter Park on Saturday is 2 p.m. Rollins will provide streaming
video and
stats, while you can tune into Sharks All-Access
here.
For the latest NSU news and results, be sure to visit
www.NSUSharks.com. To have results sent directly to your cell phone via text message, sign up for SMS text message delivery by
clicking here. For the latest news, be sure to sign up for the Shark Alert E-newsletter by
clicking here.
