CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Back on the court competitively for the first time since Mar. 8, 2020, Nova Southeastern showed plenty of promise, as the Sharks handed the Miami Hurricanes a legitimate test in a 106-95 defeat in their preseason opener down in Coral Gables on Wednesday. Head coach
Jim Crutchfield's club trailed by just four with 4:18 remaining, yet ran out of steam down the stretch against its Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) counterpart.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Miami 106, Nova Southeastern 95
Location: Watsco Center | Coral Gables, Fla.
Get Social: Twitter - @NSU_MBasketball | Instagram - @NSU_MBasketball
STATS OF THE NIGHT:
- Newcomer Sekou Sylla made quite the first impression with the Sharks, racking up a team-high 26 points on 12-of-20 from the field, to go along with 14 rebounds, five assists and three steals.
- Demonstrating an improved, all-around game, Eddie Puisis registered 20 points, seven revounds, five assists and three steals in 31 minutes.
- Off the bench, Mike Moore and Dallas Graziani added 13 and 11 points, respectively. Together, the two combined to shoot 6-of-9 from beyond the arc.
- Nick Smith tallied eight points and eight assists without issuing a single turnover.
- Collectively, the Sharks outrebounded the Hurricanes by a 48-41 margin.
- NSU forced Miami into 18 turnovers.
UP NEXT:
NSU will have one more preseason tune-up on the road at Florida Southwestern on Oct. 26. To stay up-to-date with the Sharks, follow them on Instagram and Twitter at @NSU_MBasketball.
