FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Despite a game-high 32 points from
Mark Matthews and a 21-point, 11-rebound effort from
RJ Sunahara, No. 5 Nova Southeastern saw its nine-game win streak come to end Saturday, as sixth-ranked Florida Southern slipped past the Sharks by a final score of 102-96 in the NCAA Division II Basketball Showcase. Following the defeat, the Sharks now fall 1.5 games behind the Moccasins for the top spot in the Sunshine State Conference.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: No. 6 Florida Southern 102, No. 5 Nova Southeastern 96
Records: No. 6 Florida Southern (23-2, 15-2 SSC), No. 5
Nova Southeastern (19-3, 13-3 SSC)
Location: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Get Social: Twitter - @NSU_MBasketball | Instagram - @NSU_MBasketball
HOW IT HAPPENED:
1
st Half | The Sharks opened the ball game unconscious from the field, making 10 of their first 11 shot attempts. A Matthews pull-up jumper put NSU ahead 8-6 just over two minutes into the contest.
Mikkel Kolstad then turned a Florida Southern turnover into three points on the other end before
Nick Smith rattled off a quick five points to extend the margin to 20-13. Just 50 seconds later, a Matthews kick-out resulted in an
Eddie Puisis triple, as NSU matched its largest lead of the night up 25-13 with 13:01 to play. The Sharks remained in front by double-digits following a Sunahara posterizing dunk on two defenders. Yet, as part of an 11-3 run over a span of 2:30, the Mocs' Jack Rauch buried a three-pointer to pull the visitors back within a possession at 41-38. After trailing since the early moments, Florida Southern managed to climb all the way back, knotting the contest at 45-45 thanks to a transition three by Brandon Carroll. A tough bucket by
Connor Zinaich handed the Sharks a slim, three-point advantage, but the third trey of the half by Florida Southern's Jair Rodgers in the final seconds sent both teams into the break tied at 53-53.
2
nd Half | The Mocs tallied six unanswered out of the locker room to grab their first lead since the 18:29 mark in the first half. The Sharks would wrestle the lead back, though, on a Zinaich transition lay-in before a Matthews dish to Sunahara for an easy two stretched the margin to 71-66 with 12:15 showing on the clock. A string of four consecutive misses, however, allowed the Mocs to recapture their own five-point lead after a 10-0 run over a span of just 1:42. A back-breaking, second-chance score stretched the Sharks' deficit to seven, which soon turned into 10 following another Rodgers three with 4:39 remaining. NSU made things a bit interesting after a Kolstad triple and two Matthews free throws trimmed the margin to just 97-94 with under a minute left. The Sharks needed a few more three's to fall, though, down the stretch, as a handful of misses in the final minute allowed the Mocs to escape with the 102-96 win.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- Head coach Jim Crutchfield is now 3-4 in his career against Florida Southern.
- NSU has allowed over 100 points only twice this season, both times coming versus the Mocs.
STATS OF THE NIGHT:
- The Sharks were held to 44.2 percent shooting in the second half after connecting on 64.5 percent of their attempts in the opening 20 minutes.
- With a career-high 10 assists in the effort, Matthews notched his sixth double-double of the season. Sunahara's double-double also marked his sixth on the year.
- Smith finished with 13 points and six assists, while Kolstad gave the Sharks four players in double figures with 11 on 4-of-8 shooting.
- Six players reached double figures for the Mocs, including Rodgers, who registered a team-high 20 points.
- Florida Southern's Jalyn Hinton added 16 points to go along with seven blocks.
- Florida Southern outscored NSU by a margin of 21-6 in fast-break points.
UP NEXT:
The Sharks will face another difficult task next Wednesday when they hit the road to take on Palm Beach Atlantic. For complete coverage of the action, visit the
schedule page on NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball.
