FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The Nova Southeastern University women’s basketball team (14-12, 6-10 SSC) is scheduled to hit the road as the No. 6 seed and take on the Florida Tech Panthers (21-7, 10-6 SSC), who finished as the No. 3 seed, in the first round of the Sunshine State Conference Tournament on Wednesday, Mar. 2. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
To close out its regular season play, the Sharks honored five seniors in an emotional battle against No. 25 Florida Southern. Despite falling 77-67, the Sharks posted some of their best numbers. Senior
Stephanie Sarosi (Mims, Fla.) finished her last regular season game posting a double-double with 19 points and 16 rebounds.
Abbie Tepe (Sr., Cincinnati, Ohio) followed right behind with a team high of nine assists, eight points and eight rebounds.
Sarosi also claimed the final Sunshine State Conference Player of the Week honor, the fourth of the season and 11th of her career.
SSC Tournament History
The Sharks are 6-5 all-time in the SSC Tournament. They lost in the first round in last year’s tournament to Tampa, 84-46. Back in the 2007-08 season, NSU claimed the tournament championship after defeated Eckerd (63-61), Barry (47-43) and Tampa (53-47).
The Sharks have only faced Florida Tech once in the conference tournament, and the Panther came out on top in the semi-finals, 50-44, back in the 2004-05 season, the first SSC tournament that NSU competed in.
About Florida Tech
Florida Tech will head into the SSS Tournament as the No. 3 seed after finishing 10-6 in conference play. At one point, the Panthers were the top-seed, but NSU knocked them down two spots after defeating them in overtime for their first home loss.
SSC Player of the Year candidate Lynisha Nelson paces the Panthers scoring 15.8 points per game hitting 33 percent from the field.
Briauna Hagins is one of the conferences best on the boards bringing down 9.1 rebounds a game and adding 7.5 ppg.
Florida Tech shoots 37 percent from the field, averaging 68.1 points per game. They hold their opponents to under 60-points a game in addition to outrebounding them by 4.4 per game.
The Series vs. Florida Tech
In regular season play the Sharks have swept the Panthers twice. In their first match up this season, the Panthers were outscored 75-69 in a solid performance from the Sharks. Sarosi posted a double-double of 20 points and 14 rebounds. Junior
Jada Buckner (Loudon, Tenn.) threw up double-digit points with 14 and freshman
Richelle Carach (Naples, Fla.) was the key player off the bench, adding eight points.
The second match up was at the Panthers’ Clemente Center, where the two battled it out in an intense overtime game. The Sharks were able to pull away with a needed win 73-69 to stop the Panthers 8-0 run and knock them off as the SSC’s top-seed. Sarosi captured her fifth double-double at the time with 20 points and 13 rebounds as junior
Quinessa Johnson (West Chester, Ohio) recorded her first career double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman
Jasmine Wilkins (Miami, Fla.) made her talent known by holding down the team high of 14 rebounds and added eight points.
2010-11 Regular Season Recap
The Sharks sit sixth in the conference after finishing regular season play at 14-12 overall and 6-10 in the SSC. In the first half of the season the Sharks came out strong with a 10-3 overall record and a third place spot in conference standings. This was the best start to a season in program history as the Sharks outscored their opponents 941-879. Opening the second half of the season on the road against Eckerd the expectations were held high.
Despite the inconsistencies and struggles throughout the year, the Sharks still improved from last year. Securing a sixth place spot in conference, NSU improved two spots from the 2009-10 season.
Sarosi and Tepe have continued to be leaders for the program and contributed to this seasons improved finish. As the programs first All-American, Sarosi walks away with one of the best careers as a Shark. She has led her team and the SSC all season in points scored, rebounds and blocked shots and is prepared to lead her team to a conference title.
This season Tepe was able to climb into the record books as she broke 1,000 points and posted 500 assists for her career. As a dedicated player she has been able to carry her team through the season by remaining consistent.
Buckner has had a strong season as she sits second on the team in assists with 50 while Wilkins takes second on the team in rebounds, averaging 6.2 per game. In addition, Johnson has been a major asset to this season showing strengths from the offensive and defensive ends of the court.
