Box Score

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern men’s basketball team extended its record at the NSU Arena at the Don Taft University Center to 3-0 Saturday after a 99-74 victory over the Puerto Rico-Mayaguez Tarzans.

Robert Huntington (Jr., Perth, Australia) had a career night against the Tarzans, breaking four individual records. He set new career-highs with 22 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and six steals, two short of the school record. Huntington’s night was highlighted by a reverse dunk in the second half that put the entire crowd on their feet. Lemar Dyer (Sr., Miami, Fla.) and Cody Dennison (So., Newark, Ohio) each had a team-high five assists.

The Sharks took control of the game with a dominant first half. NSU started the game on a 12-2 run and never trailed from start to finish. Although the Tarzans cut the lead to six points with 14 minutes remaining, the Sharks maintained consistent pressure on both ends of the floor and eventually held a 40-17 lead. They would enter halftime with a 25 point advantage. The Sharks held UPR to 23 percent shooting in the opening half.

Huntington shot 5-for-10 in the first half, scoring 15 of his 22 points. Making his 2010-11 home debut, Lukas Roesch (So., Sugar Grove, Ohio) scored 11 first half points on 50 percent shooting. He would finish the game with 13 points, eight rebounds, and four assists.

The second half was a different ball game as the Sharks did not play with as much urgency. They shot 60 percent in the period but allowed 18 field goals, over twice as much as UPR’s first half total. The Sharks would hold a 29 point lead, their largest of the game, with 17:47 remaining. From there, the Tarzans went on a 9-to-2 run and played even basketball with the home team for the remainder of the game. The second half was tied at 45 all, but Sharks took the victory thanks to their outstanding first half defense.

After setting career-highs in points two nights in a row, Max Papendieck (Sr., Adelaide, Australia) had a quiet first half before scoring 11 points of 5-for-7 shooting in the second. 

Ross Allsop (Sr., Sydney, Australia), NSU’s all-time greatest shot blocker, swatted a game-high four shots. It’s his fifth career game with four blocks and puts his career total at 92.

The Sharks will take a week off before returning to their home court to play Flagler on Monday, Nov. 29 at 7:30 p.m.