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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern men’s basketball team (9-8, 4-4 SSC) will kick off the second half of the Sunshine State Conference season Saturday, as the Sharks face the Barry Buccaneers (9-10, 4-4 SSC) at 4 p.m. in Miami Shores, Fla. The game will be broadcasted live on 640 Sports.

The Sharks will look to rebound from a road loss Wednesday to first-place Rollins, 65-56. The Sharks stayed in the game against the preseason SSC favorites, but had their worst shooting night of the season. The Sharks shot 31 percent (20-for-65) overall and 17 percent (4-for-23) from downtown. The Sharks also shot 60 percent (12-for-20) from the free throw line, their second worst mark of the season.

“We struggled offensively in the loss at Rollins Wednesday night, but I was pleased with our effort,” said head coach Gary Tuell. “We just couldn’t finish shots inside or outside. Rollins was as good defensively on Wednesday as I’ve seen them this year. I think their shot-blocking ability intimidated us a little. I’ve seen other guys who jump as high as David Diakite and Chris Malcolm, but the others eventually came down. I swear Diakite and Malcolm are still out there floating around the clouds somewhere. But we learned from the loss and we found things that we can work on to make ourselves better in the second half of the conference schedule. A nine-point loss at Rollins is not the end of the world, much less the end of the season, and we’ll learn from that game and get better.”

Rollins took down the Sharks with their defense and long-range shooting, nailing eight 3-pointers in the game. The Sharks will need to improve their perimeter defense to defeat a Barry team that shoots 35 percent from downtown, the second-best mark in the SSC. NSU has allowed opponents to shoot 34 percent from 3-point range this season, second to last in the conference.

“We were fortunate to escape with a one-point win the first time we played back in December,” said Tuell. “Tim Traversa  (Jr., Chicago, Ill.) made a great individual play for us in the final seconds to get us that victory. This Barry team got off to a slow start, but they’ve done a great job of finding an offensive rhythm and identifying the players who give them the best chance to win.

“Certainly in Evan White they have a senior guard who is as explosive as any in the league. He’s quick and he’s a terrific 3-point shooter. He’s in range when he walks in the gym and we’ll have to do a good job trying to stay with him. But he’s not the only good shooter on the team. No team in the league has as many good 3-point shooters as Barry. Whether it’s Chad Renfro, Bryan Van Cott, Justin McCoy, White or somebody else, they always have three or four guards on the floor who can light it up from deep, and that’s a real matchup problem for us. The combination of their stingy half-court defense and their terrific shooting from the perimeter makes them a very dangerous and difficult team to play.”

The Sharks will be looking to sweep the Bucs for the second time in three seasons. The game will also matchup only two 4-4 teams in the SSC. The top four teams in the SSC will all face each other this weekend, so the winner of Saturday’s contest will put themselves back in the mix for a home game in the SSC Tournament.

“The great thing about our team is that our guys continue to show the desire to improve and get better,” stated Tuell. “They want to win and they want to listen and learn. As long as they maintain that attitude, then the best basketball for this team is still ahead of them. Whether the record reflects it or not, I could care less. This is a fun team to coach because they come to work with a purpose and they believe in each other. Win or lose Saturday, I don’t think that’s going to change anything for these guys. Our goal is to keep learning and improving so that we can be the best team possible by the end of the season. The progress is sometimes slow, but it’s steady and that’s a real compliment to our players.”

Fans can listen to the game live on 640 Sports or watch the game HERE. Live stats will also be available HERE. Follow the Sharks on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/NSU_MBasketball.

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