FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Nova Southeastern fans may still be monitoring their heart rates following Saturday night's nail-biting win over Florida Southern. For the second straight contest, the Sharks needed overtime, yet relied on their gritty effort and free throw shooting down the stretch to slip past Florida Southern, 105-102. Point guard David Dennis picked up his fourth foul just minutes into the second half, however, managed to stay on the floor the rest of the way en route to a team-high 23 points and eight assists. Dwayne Gibson added 17 points, while Nick Smith chipped in with 16, as Nova Southeastern remained perfect on the year. Now 6-0, and 3-0 in Sunshine State Conference play, the Sharks have already matched their win total from the entire 2016-17 season.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Nova Southeastern 105, Florida Southern 102 (OT)
Records: Nova Southeastern (6-0, 3-0 SSC), Florida Southern (4-4, 1-3 SSC)
Location: The Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Get Social: Twitter - @NSU_MBasketball | Instagram - @NSU_MBasketball | Facebook - /NSUSharksAthletics

HOW IT HAPPENED:
1^st Half | After trailing by four early, the Sharks opened up a seven-point advantage roughly six minutes into the game after freshman Malik Hardy converted all three of his free throws following a shooting foul from beyond the arc. Able to get to the bucket at will in the first half, Dennis stretched the lead to 26-17 thanks to two of his 10 first-half points. However, the Moccasins would respond with a 15-3 run to climb back in front by three with 8:54 to play before the break. The play of Pat Huffine and hot shooting of Gibson would give the momentum right back to the Sharks, though. As part of an 18-4 spurt, Huffine converted a tough three-point play in transition before Gibson drained one his five three-point makes on the night to stretch the cushion out to double-digits. Florida Southern would whittle away at the lead, but Nova Southeastern would still enter the locker room in front 56-49.

2^nd Half | Hit with two quick whistles just 2:12 into the second half, head coach Jim Crutchfield was forced to yank his point guard with four fouls. With Dennis on the bench, the Sharks' offense went stagnant and allowed Florida Southern to regain a 62-60 edge. Having seen enough after only two-plus minutes, Crutchfield subbed Dennis back in, a move that eventually paid off. The junior dropped in a lay-up with 12:43 left in regulation to put the Sharks back in front as they'd soon reel off seven consecutive points. Just as Nova Southeastern appeared to be pulling away, though, the Mocs' Ben Marello connected on a triple to even the score at 79-79. Back and forth both sides went until Isaac White converted a pair at the line to give the home team a three-point lead with just 21 seconds remaining. The Sharks were one stop away from victory, yet the game was sent to overtime after Florida Southern's Jonathan Lawton hit a deep trey to knot the contest at 91-91.

OT | Neither side separated itself by more than two points before Gibson beat the shot clock with a nifty move to the bucket to extend NSU's advantage to 100-97. A free throw by Dennis made it a two possession game as the Sharks eventually salted the contest away at the foul line for the three-point 'W'.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• NSU continues to make 100-point scoring nights a habit, recording its fourth such effort this season on Saturday.
• The Sharks are just one of two teams to be undefeated through three SSC contests.

 STATS OF THE NIGHT:

• Five players scored in double-figures for the Sharks in the win.
• The Sharks cashed in by making 32 free throws Saturday compared to just 14 by the Mocs.
• Like it has all season, NSU's bench came up huge by providing 41 points, including a combined 27 by Hardy and Smith.
• Gerard Tarin netted a season-high 15 points in the effort to go along with seven rebounds and two steals.
• Florida Southern's starters accounted for 93 of its 102 total points.

UP NEXT:
Following the victory, NSU will take a week off before welcoming Florida Tech to the Rick Case Arena for an SSC clash next Saturday at 4 p.m. ET.  For complete coverage of the action, follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball or visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com.