EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Survive and Advance. The top-ranked Nova Southeastern Sharks Men's Basketball team (second-seed) overcame a 17-point deficit and outlasted the seventh-seeded Southern New Hampshire Penmen 68-60 in the Elite Eight on Tuesday afternoon at the Ford Center. After trailing 42-28 at the half, NSU held SNHU to just 18 points in the second half, limiting the Penmen to just six made field goals (6-25/24%) in the second half. 

Nova Southeastern has won 10 consecutive NCAA Tournament games, dating back to the 2022-23 season and is currently riding a 19-game winning streak.


Records: (2) No. 1 Nova Southeastern 31-2 | (7) Southern New Hampshire 24-11
Score: (2) No.1 Nova Southeastern 68 | (7) Southern New Hampshire 60
Location: Ford Center | Evansville, Ind.
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First Half – SNHU began the game on an 8-1 run, as NSU missed each of its first seven field goal attempts. The Sharks continued to trail throughout much of the opening half and midway through NSU faced a 22-11 deficit. Ryan Davis put back a second chance opportunity, which was followed by another bucket from Ryker Cisarik, putting the score within one possession as the Sharks trailed 22-19. Nova Southeastern was unable to take the lead in the first half, as the Penmen closed the half on a 20-9 run, putting the score at 42-28 at the break.  

Second Half – Trailing 47-31 early in the second half, Trey Doomes kick-started an 11-0 run for the Sharks putting the score at 47-42. Cisarik knocked down a three-point bucket for NSU, cutting the Penmen lead to 49-45 with under 13 minutes remaining in the game. The Sharks continued to show their resiliency and tied the game at 54-54 following a clutch three-pointer from Cisarik. MJ Iraldi gave Nova Southeastern their first lead in the contest, knocking down a pair of free throws, giving NSU a 56-54 advantage. With less than four minutes left in the game, Doomes finished off an and-one opportunity and put the score at 59-56 in favor of the Sharks. Nova Southeastern put the game away at the free throw line as Shane Hunter and Isaiah Fuller scored the final eight points for the Sharks, advancing NSU to the Final Four for the second consecutive season.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
NSU forced 21 turnovers by Southern New Hampshire and outscored the Penmen 27-5 off of turnovers.
Mike Moore (11 points) and Trey Doomes (9) combined to score 20-points off the bench for the Sharks. NSU's reserve unit outscored the Penmen's 31-17.
The 17-point comeback by Nova Southeastern is the second largest in the history of the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.
 

Head Coach Jim Crutchfield – Southern New Hampshire is a very well coached team and came into the game with a good game plan to win. I liked our effort. When all else fails, sometimes you just have to play harder, and our guys did just that.


No. 1 Nova Southeastern faces sixth-seeded California State San Bernardino Coyotes - in a rematch of last season's Final Four – with a spot in the NCAA Division II National Championship on the line on Thursday, March 28^th. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. EST and the game will be available on CBS Sports Network. To stay up-to-date on Sharks Men's Basketball throughout their championship run, be sure to follow on Instagram & X at NSU_MBasketball.