TAMPA, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern Men's Basketball team defeated Tampa 115-77 on Saturday afternoon, earning win No. 25 of its season. Will Yoakum led the Sharks with 24 points on efficient splits of 81/66/100. RJ Sunahara also scored 21 points on 88% from the field in the Sunshine State Conference victory.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Records: Nova Southeastern 25-0, 18-0 SSC | Tampa 8-16, 7-11 SSC
Score: Nova Southeastern 115, Tampa 77 Location: Bob Martinez Athletic Center | Tampa, Fla.
Get Social: Instagram & Twitter – NSU_MBasketball | Facebook – NSU Men's Basketball
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half – Dallas Graziani got the scoring started for NSU with a mid-range jumper assisted by RJ Sunahara. Will Yoakum caught fire, scoring 9 of the next 11 points for the Sharks with just under 15 minutes left in the half. A three-point play by Lukas Speidel helped Nova Southeastern take a 17-15 lead. Sunahara, Ryan Davis, Jonathan Pierre and Graziani all helped the Sharks tie the game 25-25 after a strong run by the Spartans. With about 8 minutes left in the half, Sunahara took over, scoring 9 of NSU's next 15 points and taking a 40-36 lead. Graziani, Pierre and Jake Maranville went on an 8-2 run for the Sharks and helped grab a 50-43 advantage with 80 seconds remaining in the half. A layup Ryan Davis extended Nova Southeastern's lead to 52-46 at the end of the first half.
Second Half – The Sharks started the second half on a 14-4 run with buckets from Yoakum (6), Sunahara (6) and Maranville (2). Tomas Murphy scored four consecutive points and put NSU up 72-58 with 14 minutes left in the game. Maranville caught fire from deep, hitting back-to-back threes that gave the Sharks a 23-point lead. With time winding down, Yoakum hit two three-balls and Lukas Speidel had four layups that helped extend the leasd. Shane Hunter took over late, scoring 10 points within the final four minutes. Tommy Sala and Alex Mangold also contributed buckets late and helped the Sharks close out a 115-77 win over Tampa.
STATS OF THE NIGHT
- Six Sharks reached double figures: Yoakum (24), Sunahara (21), Graziani (14), Maranville (13), Hunter (12) and Speidel (11).
- Graziani picked up a 14-point, 12-assist double-double in NSU's victory.
- Yoakum has scored at least 20 points in five of the last nine games.
- Maranville's 13 points are a season-high for the sophomore guard.
UPCOMING
The Sharks will travel to Eckerd on Wednesday, Feb. 22 in its final road game of the season. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
