FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (Feb. 13, 2010) - The Nova Southeastern University men's basketball team bounced back from a crushing loss to Lynn on Wednesday night with an 81-79 win over Sunshine State Conference rival Barry University on Saturday afternoon. The win improves the Sharks record to 13-10 overall and 6-7 in SSC play while Barry falls to 14-9, 5-7.
"I was proud of our kids," said NSU head coach Gary Tuell. "They hung in there on a day when we really didn't play that well. We were careless with the ball and turned it over way too many times, which hurt our chance to build a lead and get some separation from them during the game. But in the end, we executed at both ends of the floor and made some big plays."
Nova Southeastern overcame a four point deficit with 1:44 remaining, 21 turnovers and 20 points from the Buccaneers Zack Trapp to pull off the victory. The Sharks offense did execute well when not turning the ball over, shooting 66.7 percent in the first half and 56.0 percent for the game. NSU also matched Barry at the free-throw stripe, as both teams went 19-26.
"Barry is a very talented, athletic team," said Tuell. "We knew it would be tough to defend them. Zack Trapp had a great night shooting the ball for them, but our defensive plan was to limit their leading scorers and gamble that Trapp might not hurt us. He made us pay, but in the end I think we did the right things to win."
Alex Gynes (Jr., Nowra, Australia) led the Sharks with 17 points, eight rebounds, two assists and a steal. All 17 points and five rebounds came in the second half. Junior guard Max Papendieck (Adelaide, Australia), sophomore center Rob Huntington (Perth, Australia) and freshman guard Brian Cahill 9Arlington, Va.) each had 12 points. Junior point guard Lemar Dyer (Miami, Fla.) contributed with eight points, five assists and three rebounds.
Tuell said, "Lemar Dyer came up with some key plays at both ends, Alex Gynes was a monster in the second half after playing only five minutes in the first, Rob Huntington had a nice game for us and was a big factor, and it was nice to see Max Papendieck bounce back from the loss Wednesday and have one of his best games."
With the win, the Sharks join a crowded pack in the middle of the Sunshine State Conference standings. With three games remaining, NSU could finish anywhere from third to eighth place in the league standings.
"The conference is just crazy this year," Tuell concluded. "There is so much parity from top to bottom, every win is critical as all the teams are fighting for seeding in the post-season tournament. We'll take two days off and come back ready for Rollins on Wednesday. They are a very good club and we'll need to play our best to stay with them."
The Sharks remain at home to host SSC leading Rollins College at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 17th inside the Don Taft University Center.
