MIAMI SHORES, Fla. (Dec. 31, 2008) - Nova Southeastern University's women's basketball team hung on in the closing seconds in order to pick up its second-straight victory as the Sharks defeated Flagler 60-59 in the Barry Holiday Classic on Wednesday afternoon at the Health & Sports Center.
The game came down to the final eight seconds. With NSU and Flagler deadlocked at 59-all, Stephanie Sarosi (Jr., Mims, Fla.) drew the foul. Sarosi calmly sank her first free throw to put NSU up by one. Sarosi missed the second and Flagler's Chanti Beckett grabbed the rebound and passed the ball to Annie Maloney, who attempted a cross-court pass. However, Abbie Tepe (So., Cincinnati, Ohio) intercepted the ball in order to secure the Sharks' victory.
For the second straight game, Sarosi had key second-half performance. After 15 second-half points in Tuesday's game against Shaw, Sarosi recorded 21 of her game-high 26 points and was a perfect 8-for-8 from the field in the final 20 minutes.
The game started with the Saints having a 7-2 run. Flagler took a six-point advantage as Annie Maloney drilled a three-pointer at the 12:45 mark to give the Saints a 12-6 lead.
Using a 10-0 run, the Sharks quickly closed the gap and took the lead. Jada Buckner (Fr., Loudon, Tenn.) drained a three-pointer at 10:45 that allowed the Sharks to take a 14-12 advantage. Just 10 seconds later, Buckner forced a Flagler turnover and dished the ball off to an open Tara Haddock (Jr., Citrus Springs, Fla.), who made a layup that put NSU up by four.
The Sharks eventually held a six-point margin with Buckner's three swishing through the bucket at 9:18 to make it a 20-14 game. However, the Saints gradually cut NSU's lead in half as a Jalisa Foster layup made it a three-point game at 5:08.
NSU answered with a 5-1 run the concluded with Stevie Kamp's (Fr., Mesa, Ariz.) free throw that put the Sharks up 26-19 with 37 seconds left in the half.
Flagler scored the final three points of the half as NSU took a 26-23 lead heading into halftime.
In the second half, just a few points separated NSU and the Saints until the Sharks got a three-pointer from Eliza Allen (Sr., Hegenheim, France) and a layup from Sarsoi to take a seven-point lead. NSU gradually began to distance itself as a pair of Sarosi free throws sparked a 7-2 run that a 44-34 NSU advantage with 12:30 left.
The Saints began chipping away at NSU's lead and ultimately made it a 47-44 game with Elizabeth Tuzzolo hitting a three-pointer at 8:02.
NSU built up three different seven-point cushions, including using a Sarosi layup at 3:55 to go up 57-50. However, Flager responded with a 9-0 run, taking a two-point edge over the Sharks with Beckett making the go-ahead layup at 1:42.
Just a minute later, Sarosi's layup tied the game 59-59. With 21 seconds to go, Flagler missed a layup and Sarosi pulled down the rebound in order to give NSU possession of the ball.
After shooting 40.9 percent during the first half, NSU shot 65.0 percent in the second half en route to shooting 52.4 percent (22-for-42) for the game. Flagler was 36.4 percent (20-for-55) from the field, but held a 33-26 advantage in rebounds.
In addition to Sarosi, Buckner also reached double-digits in points, recording 10. Sarosi, who was 10-for-11 from the field for the game, totaled a team-high nine caroms. Meanwhile, Tepe posted game-highs for assists (5) and steals (6).
Beckett posted a team-high 17 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Maloney chipped in with 12 points.
NSU's next game is on Saturday, Jan. 3 when the Sharks resume Sunshine State Conference play at Tampa in what will be a re-match of last year's SSC Championship Game. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
