FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Led by a career-high 21 points off the bench by Eddie Puisis, No. 4 Nova Southeastern bounced back from its first defeat of the year by picking up a 90-79 victory over Tampa Saturday night at the Rick Case Arena. The Sharks trailed for a mere 35 seconds early in the second half, yet responded with a 23-4 run to pull away and close the door on their seventh win in eight tries in Sunshine State Conference play. Five other players joined Puisis in double-figures, including Mark Matthews, who finished the ball game with 18 points and nine rebounds, while Mikkel Kolstad added 13 points in 21 minutes of action.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Nova Southeastern 90, Tampa 79
Records: Nova Southeastern (13-1, 7-1 SSC), Tampa (9-6, 3-4 SSC)
Location: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
1ST HALF | A personal 7-0 run by Nick Smith put Nova Southeastern out in front 13-7 at the first media timeout of the ball game. The lead moved to 24-17 following a jumper by Matthews at the midway point. However, too many defensive lapses allowed Tampa to pull back within a bucket at the 8:12 mark after Alberto Moreno converted an old-fashioned three-point play. Ahead by four, the Sharks used a 9-1 spurt, capped by a Kolstad three-pointer, to open up a 12-point cushion. Nova Southeastern would hit just two fields over the final 5:48, though, as Tampa whittled the margin back down to four at the break

2ND HALF | A quick four points in the opening 40 seconds of the half doubled the Sharks' advantage to 48-40. A David Dennis lay-in kept Nova Southeastern on top by seven until the Sharks hit another rough stretch, allowing the Spartans to rip off eight unanswered points to grab their first lead since 16:45 left in the first half. A quick turnover out of the timeout continued the lull before Matthews and Puisis scored a combined nine straight points for the Sharks to help them regain a 61-55 edge. Three more buckets for Matthews extended the lead to 14 with 9:45 to play. The redshirt junior wasn't done just yet, and added a jumper moments later to put the finishing touches on an extended 23-4 run that finally gave Nova Southeastern the breathing room it'd been looking for all night. Plenty of frustration ensued for the Spartans, as they were whistled for a total of three technical fouls just a few possessions later. Making them pay for each and every one of them, Puisis stepped to the line and drilled all six free throw attempts, sealing the deal on the Sharks' third straight win over Tampa.

INSIDE THE STATS:

• After shooting just 36.6 percent in the first half, Nova Southeastern converted 51.4 percent of its shot attempts in the final 20 minutes.
• The Sharks held a whopping 36-2 advantage in bench scoring.
• Along with his 12 points in the win, Dennis collected seven rebounds and seven assists.
• Gibson accounted for half of the Sharks' 16 made free throws, finishing with 10 points.
• Tampa's Anthony Gamble led all scorers with a game-high 25 points on 9-of-18 from the floor.

UP NEXT:
In a SSC showdown between two ranked programs, the Sharks will welcome No. 21 Lynn to the Rick Case Arena next Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. For complete coverage of the action, follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball or visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com.