Box Score

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Robert Huntington’s game winning tip-in with 0.4 seconds remaining lifted the men’s basketball team (10-4, 3-1 SSC) to a 75-73 win over the Barry Buccaneers (4-9, 1-4 SSC) Wednesday night in the NSU Arena at the Don Taft University Center. The win marks the fourth time the Sharks have started Sunshine State Conference play with a 3-1 record or better since joining the SSC seven seasons ago.

With the game tied at 73 and six seconds remaining, the Sharks cleared out for Teddy Tassy (Jr., Boca Raton, Fla.) to drive to the rim for a game-winning layup. When Tassy’s layup bounced in and out, Huntington (Jr., Perth, Australia) tipped the ball back in to clinch his team’s seventh straight win. Huntington finished with 17 points on 6-for-8 shooting and seven rebounds.

Alex Gynes (Sr., Nowra, Australia) had another big outing in which he posted team-highs with 23 points and eight rebounds. He shot 7-for-13 from the floor and 8-for-11 from the free throw line. He also picked up two steals and assists.

The game started as a back-and-forth struggle but the Sharks would take a commanding lead halfway through the first period. Down by nine, the NSU went on an 18-0 run which gave them the lead for the majority of the contest. Making his second appearance for NSU, Darien Dyer (So., Miami, Fla.) scored five points and dished out one assist in just over two minutes of the stretch. The Bucs stopped the bleeding with four minutes left and entered the break down by six.

The Sharks earned their halftime lead by limiting themselves to five turnovers, half of Barry’s halftime amount, and holding the Bucs to only two free throw attempts. Gynes scored 13 points in the first half on 4-for-7 shooting.

The Sharks maintained their single-digit lead throughout most of the second half but never pulled away. The Buccaneers had an opportunity to tie the game or take a one-point lead with 1:46 left on the clock, but Lemar Dyer (Sr., Miami, Fla.) made the game’s most crucial stop when he picked off Barry’s Derrick Bolanos and drained a fast break layup.

It was a sloppy finish for both teams as there was a combined five turnovers in the last two minutes. With five seconds left, Barry’s Zack Trapp stole the ball and assisted on a Bryan Van Cott three-pointer that tied the game for the first time in over 26 minutes. The Sharks answered back with Huntington’s game-winner that lifted the Sharks to their seventh straight victory.

Lemar Dyer finished the game with six points and game-high six assists. On his first assist, Dyer became the fourth Shark to ever collect 200 assists and 100 steals in a career. John Brooks (Sr., Perris, Calif.) scored nine points and ended his streak at five games with at least three three-pointers made. 

Ross Allsop (Sr., Sydney, Australia) surpassed 600 points on his first basket en route to a six point, three rebound performance. Max Papendieck (Sr., Adelaide, Australia) came off the bench and collected six points, three rebounds and two assists.

Despite Willie Whitfield’s team-high 17 points and 11 rebounds, this is the second straight week in which the Sharks have handed a loss to the reigning SSC Player of the Week.

After a six game home-stand, the Sharks will hit the road to play Eckerd this Saturday, Jan. 15 at 4 p.m. in St. Petersburg, Fla.