BOX SCORE

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Tackling its first SSC game in over a month, the Nova Southeastern University women’s basketball team (8-3, 1-1 SSC) settled the Florida Tech Panthers (12-3, 1-2 SSC) to its second straight loss in conference play as the Sharks got a 75-69 victory Wednesday at home.

The Sharks are currently 7-0 when scoring 70 or more points and 5-1 in the NSU Arena at the Don Taft University Center this season.

Senior center Stephanie Sarosi (Mims, Fla.) recorded her second straight double-double as she was the Sharks leading scorer with 20 points and the games leader with 14 rebounds.

Junior Jada Buckner (Loudon, Tenn.) scored double-digit points for the fourth time this season with 12.

Starters Sarosi, Buckner, Abbie Tepe (Cincinnati, Ohio), Jasmine Wilkins (Miami, Fla.) and Quinessa Johnson (West Chester, Ohio) accounted for 56 of the Sharks 75 points. Freshman Richelle Carach (Naples, Fla.) was NSU’s leading scorer off the bench with eight points.

Lynisha Nelson was the anchor of the Florida Tech offense as she finished with a double-double, adding 28 points and 13 rebounds.

NSU started the game very stagnant as the Panthers quickly got on the board and took a 9-0 lead. After trailing for the first eight minutes, Buckner drained a three to even the game 18-18.

Carach would hit a free throw to give the Sharks its first lead with 10:11 remaining in the half at 19-18. The Panthers would answer scoring the next seven points but senior guard Priscilla Perez (Miami, Fla.) would end the Florida Tech run by hitting a three off the dish from Wilkins.

With only a two point lead at 33-31 with one minute left in the half, the Sharks headed into locker room on a 5-1 run to extend its lead by six at intermission.

The Sharks took its first double-digit lead right out of the break as Wilkins and Johnson both scored on fast break opportunities.

The Panthers closed the gap of the Sharks lead and would eventually tie it up at 46-46 with 10:44 remaining in regulation. After Jessica Walter (Knoxville, Tenn.) would add one from the courtesy line, the Panthers would get a basket from Katie Kingfield to take their first and only lead of the half.

The Sharks never trailed for the remainder of the game despite the Panthers evening up the score at 52-52. For nearly five minutes, NSU did not allow Florida Tech to score until the 4:09 mark, where the Sharks still had a 63-54 lead.

Closing in the last minute of the play, the Panthers never got beyond more than a two-basket deficit as the Sharks walked away with its first conference victory.

NSU will continue SSC play as they host the Saint Leo Lions on Saturday, Jan. 8th, at 2 p.m. game at the NSU Arena in the Don Taft University Center.