BOX SCORE

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern women’s basketball team (3-1) jumped out to a commanding lead early and never looked back, downing UPR-Mayaguez (0-1), 88-35, Monday evening at the NSU Arena. Five different players scored at least 11 points for the Sharks.
 
NSU took an 11-4 lead into the first media timeout behind six early points from Jasmine Wilkins (So., Miami, Fla.). The Sharks’ advantage grew to 11 points, 19-7, at the 13:13 mark when Jessica Russi (So., Lake Mary, Fla.) drained a 3-pointer. That triple started a 19-0 run for the Sharks that lasted 6:45 through the midsection of the first half.
 
A Rheisa Burke (So., Port Charlotte, Fla.) jumper with just under three minutes left in the half put the Sharks ahead by 31. Quinessa Johnson (Sr., West Chester, Ohio) and Jada Buckner (Sr., Loudon, Tenn.) closed the half with back-to-back fast break layups, giving NSU a 54-19 lead at the intermission.
 
Meixandra Porter (Jr., Chantilly, Va.) led all scorers at the half with 11 points, while Wilkins and Buckner each had 10. Mistakes plagued UPR-Mayaguez, as NSU tallied nine steals on 22 turnovers by the Janes, leading to 26 points off turnovers.
 
The Sharks began the second half on a 10-5 run, taking a 64-24 lead into the media timeout. Johnson and Taylor Kramer (Fr., Fort Myers, Fla.) both recorded fast break layups off UPR-Mayaguez turnovers during that span.
 
Russi provided a pair of layups to extend the Sharks’ lead to 75-26 with 7:16 remaining in the game. Kramer’s trey at the 4:44 mark gave NSU 80 points and a lead of 51.
 
Walter brought the game to close, snatching her second steal of the game, giving NSU 16 in the contest. The Sharks defense was stifling throughout the game as NSU continuously altered UPR-Mayaguez shots, tallying five blocks altogether.
 
Wilkins and UPR-Mayaguez’s Stephanie Rodriguez each scored a game-high 16 points, while Russi (15), Porter (13), Buckner (12) and Kramer (11) all reached double figures. Russi came up one rebound short of a double-double with nine boards in the contest.
 
As a team, the Sharks shot 48.4 percent (31-64) from the field, their best effort this season. The 50 rebounds that the Sharks grabbed is also a season-high, one better than the 49 they secured against Concordia Saturday.
 
The Sharks will next be in action this Friday when the NSU Thanksgiving Classic begins. NSU is slated to play Bemidji State Friday, Nov. 25 and SW Minnesota State the following day. Both games are scheduled for 4 p.m. tip-offs.  
 
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