BOX SCORE

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Five seniors on the Nova Southeastern women’s basketball team (14-12, 6-10 SSC) played their final game at the NSU Arena in the Don Taft University Center in the Sharks’ loss to the Florida Southern Mocs  (22-4, 14-2 SSC)  Saturday, 77-67. The Sharks will move on to play in the Sunshine State Conference Tournament, starting Wednesday in Melbourne, Fla. against the third seeded Florida Tech Panthers.

Stephanie Sarosi (Sr., Mims, Fla.) recorded her eighth double-double of the season as she led the Sharks with 19 points and 16 rebounds. Abbie Tepe (Sr., Cincinnati, Ohio) dished out a team high nine assists to go with eight points and eight boards on senior night.

With the sixth seed in the SSC Tournament locked up before the game, Interim Head Coach Ann Walker started all five seniors against FSC. Lauren Marshall (Sr., Gladstone, Mich.) received her first start of the season while Priscilla Perez (Sr., Miami, Fla.) and Meloney Fosburgh (Sr., Phoenix, Ariz.) received their third and second starts, respectively.

The Mocs started the game on a 6-0 run, establishing a lead they never lost. The Sharks came within one point of FSC on multiple occasions in the first half but never moved ahead. The Sharks trailed, 11-10, with 13 minutes remaining in the half when FSC began to build a substantial lead. The Mocs earned a double-digit lead with 10 minutes on the clock and led, 40-20, with five minutes left before the break. The Sharks entered halftime trailing, 47-30.

The Sharks struggled to hit their three-pointers in the first half as they shot 1-for-12 from behind the arc. Florida Southern had a polar opposite first period as they shot a blistering 62 percent (8-for-13) from three-point range. NSU held the Mocs to 38 percent shooting on shots inside the arc but the Mocs, who average 38 percent shooting from three-point range this season, caught fire behind the arc. Jasmine Wilkins (Fr., Miami, Fla.) scored eight points on 3-for-6 shooting in the first half and finished the game with 11 points and six rebounds.

The Sharks played even basketball with FSC over the first 15 minutes of the second half, but could not cut into the Mocs’ lead. NSU made an effort late in the game to make a comeback but did not have enough time. Trailing 73-52 with 5:34 left on the clock, the Sharks outscored FSC, 15-4, down the stretch. Nevertheless, the Sharks enter the SSC Tournament after a 10-point loss against the SSC’s league champions.

The Sharks continued to struggle shooting in the second half, but made their comeback as they limited the Mocs to 31 percent (11-for-35) shooting from the floor over the final 20 minutes. 

Quinessa Johnson (Jr., West Chester, Ohio) and Jada Buckner (Jr., Loudon, Tenn.) each came off the bench to score 10 and eight points, respectively. The Sharks had five players score eight points or more for the first time since Feb. 9.

The Sharks will move on to play the first round of the SSC Tournament in Melbourne, Fla. against Florida Tech on Wednesday, Mar. 2.