FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Ross Reeves poured in 27 points to lead five scorers in double figures, and the #5 Nova Southeastern Sharks bested #21 Assumption University 125-68 in a top-25 rematch of last year's NCAA Division II Elite Eight on Saturday afternoon. Senior guard Dallas Graziani had 16 points and four steals, which broke the program record for career steals previously held by current Sharks Associate Head Coach Nick Smith. The Sharks won their second straight game and 92nd consecutive home game at the Shark Tank. 



Score: #5 Nova Southeastern 125 | #21 Assumption 68
Records: #5 Nova Southeastern 8-1 (3-1 SSC) | #21 Assumption 7-3 (2-0 NE10)
Location: Crutchfield Court at Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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The Sharks got off to a quick start, as they raced out to a 14-3 lead, capped by a three-pointer from Bobby Rosenberger III. The Greyhounds finally responded with a three-pointer to cut the deficit to eight at the 16:15 mark, but the Sharks went back up by double digits on a jumper from Reeves just before the under-16 media timeout. The Sharks went up by 16 on a layup from Rosenberger III, and then stretched the lead to 20, 34-14, on a layup from Dallas Graziani at the 11:15 mark. NSU's lead hovered around 15-20 points until the 4:50 mark of the first half, when Rosenberger scored another layup to go up 51-26. Ryan Davis scored a layup with 1:13 remaining in the first half to go up by 30, and the Sharks led 61-33 at the break. 

The Greyhounds briefly cut the lead to 23 points in the second half, but the Sharks went back up by 32, 76-44, on a layup from Graziani at the 13:20 mark. The Sharks crossed into triple digits on a layup from Eli Allen at the 6:57 mark, and Allen later hit a three-pointer at the 1:14 mark to give NSU their biggest lead at 57 points. The Sharks got significant production from their reserves, as their bench outscored the Greyhounds' bench 50-25. Rosenberger III and Bennett Kayser both provided 15 points off the bench, and Kayser nearly had a double-double as he added nine rebounds to help the Sharks win 125-68.



Ross Reeves: 27 points, five assists
Dallas Graziani: 16 points, five assists, four steals - broke program record for steals
Jaxon Nap: 16 points, four rebounds, four assists
Bennett Kayser: 15 points, nine rebounds
Bobby Rosenberger III: 15 points, six rebounds



The Sharks move to 8-1 on the season, with a 3-1 mark in SSC play and will face Eckerd College on New Year's Eve at 7:30PM. To stay up-to-date on Sharks Men's Basketball, be sure to follow on Instagram and Twitter/X at NSUM_Basketball.