Box Score
NSU Postgame Press Conference
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern women's basketball team won their second consecutive South Region title, taking the lead with under a minute left and holding on by three over Tampa on Monday night at the NSU Arena, 56-53.
The Sharks (28-4) move on to the NCAA Elite Eight, in Erie, Penn., to take on the Central Region's No. 7 seed, Concordia-St. Paul. The 28-8 Golden Bears, unranked in the final USA Today Coaches' poll, pulled off three major upsets to win the region, knocking off No. 2-seeded Harding (No. 2 in the nation), third-seeded Central Missouri (No. 8) and top seed, Emporia State (No. 7). Their matchup will take place Tuesday, March 25, at 2:30 p.m.
On Monday, there were nine lead changes in the second half alone, but none bigger than
Richelle Carach's (Sr., Naples, Fla.) driving lay-in with 33 seconds left. On Tampa's ensuing possession, Keke Jones drove baseline, where a waiting Carach took the charge to give the Sharks the ball back with 6.1 to go.
With 5.0 seconds on the clock,
Amanda Burakoski (Sr., Brooklyn, N.Y.) made two free throws to put the Sharks up three. On the in-bound, up three, NSU immediately fouled UT guard Diamond Posey, who was making her first appearance in the game. With just 3.0 seconds to go, she missed the front end of the 1-and-1, and
Jessica Russi (Sr., Lake Mary, Fla.) pulled down the rebound and dribbled out the clock for the win.
Russi paced the Sharks with a season-high 19 points, adding eight assists, four rebounds and three steals, while only committing one turnover. She went 6-of-7 from the free throw line, and was the only NSU player in double digits.
Jasmine Wilkins (R-Jr., Miami, Fla.) had nine points and eight rebounds, Burakoski nine points and seven boards, and Carach eight points.
In the game, the Sharks took points in the paint 34-16, and won points off turnovers, 22-8. Their bench outscored their Tampa counterparts, 30-10, buoyed by Russi's 19.
Tampa (24-7) was held to 36 percent shooting and committed 17 turnovers. Juliana Cavallaro had the team's high with 13 points, while Ellen Nurmi added 11. The Sharks held Shamika Williams and Illyssa Vivo to a combined shooting line of 4-of-21.
Williams and Cavallaro of Tampa, and Burakoski and Russi of NSU made up the South Region All-Tournament Team, along with Most Outstanding Player
Taylor Buie (So., Puyallup, Wash.).
Return to NSUSharks.com over the coming week to stay up-to-date on the Sharks' trip to Erie. Tipoff, again, will be 2:30 p.m. this upcoming Tuesday, March 25, against Concordia-St. Paul.
For the latest NSU news and results, be sure to visit
www.NSUSharks.com. To have results sent directly to your cell phone via text message, sign up for SMS text message delivery by
clicking here. For the latest news, be sure to sign up for the Shark Alert E-newsletter by
clicking here.
