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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern men’s basketball team (4-4) will hit the hardwood two more times before the holiday break, hosting West Georgia (9-1) Saturday, Dec. 17 and Keene State (6-2) Monday, Dec. 19. Saturday’s contest against the Wolves is set for an 8 p.m. tip-off, while Monday’s game against the Owls is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. Both games are part of the Trip Sports Cruzin Classic, taking place at the NSU Arena in the Don Taft University Center this weekend.
 
The Sharks are coming off an 82-34 dismantling of the College of the Bahamas at the home Thursday night. Five players reached double figures for NSU against the Carobs, including Rob Huntington (Sr., Perth, Australia) who scored 16 points and grabbed 10 boards for his first double-double this season.
 
Saturday’s game will be the second time this season that the Sharks and Wolves have met. West Georgia took a 65-57 victory in Carrollton, Ga. back on Nov. 29. Shaun Pratl and Iran Hollis each scored a team-high 12 points for NSU in that game.
 
“The first time we played them we weren’t patient enough on offense in the first half, and we had one stretch late in the first half where we totally lost our focus,” said coach Tuell. “During that time West Georgia capitalized on our mistakes and opened a 10-point lead that we spent the rest of the night trying to overcome. You can’t have those kind of mental lapses against a team as good as West Georgia and still hope to win.  I’d like to think we’re a better team than the first time we played them, but I’m sure they’ve improved, too. 
 
“For us to have a chance in this game we’ll need everybody giving their best effort for 40 minutes with no defensive lapses. It would also help if we could knock down some of the open jump shots we’ve been missing. We fill it up in practice and shoot like we expect.  But when the lights come on we’ve missed way too many open jumpers. We can’t do that against a team as strong as West Georgia.”
 
Although the first meeting between these two squads was a defensive battle, this time out could prove to be more of an offensive game as both teams are averaging over 70 points per game.
 
“West Georgia is as good as anyone we’ve seen this year, especially in terms of their ability to score,” commented Tuell. “They have six or seven guys capable of scoring in double figures, and Da’ron Sims and Gavin Field are two of the best players we’ve faced this season. Ryan Godfrey is a terrific shooter and now they’ve added D-I transfer Ben Kelly to the mix since he became eligible last week. They have very impressive size with Field and Kelly both around 6-8, Brett Seljak at 6-9, Sims at 6-6 and Godfrey at 6-3. And that doesn’t include the size and athleticism they bring off the bench. It’s just a very well-coached, experienced and talented team that probably deserves the number one ranking in the South Region.
  
“Our guys are anxious to play this game.  We had a chance to pull off the upset at West Georgia and fell a little short, but certainly not for lack of effort in the second half. If we put two halves together against them and take care of the effort plays and pay attention to the scouting report, we should be able to make it interesting. But if we give anything less than our best effort, chances are the result will be the same as it was the first time we met.”
 
Monday’s meeting with Keene State will mark the first time the Sharks and Owls have squared off against one another. Located in Keene, N.H., the Owls compete in the Little East Conference.
 
After starting the season 4-0, the Owls are 2-2 in their past four games. Keene State will take on Mt. St. Vincent Sunday, Dec. 18 in its first game of the Cruzin Classic.
 
To follow thsi weekend’s action, live stats can be found HERE and live video is available HERE. Follow the action on Twitter at www.twitter.com/@NSUSharks.
 
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