BOX SCORE
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The Nova Southeastern men’s basketball team (10-12, 5-8 SSC) snapped their longest losing streak of the season Saturday, as the Sharks took down the Tampa Spartans (6-17, 2-11 SSC), 61-44, at the NSU Arena in the Don Taft University Center.
Robert Huntington (Sr., Perth, Australia) led all scorers in the game with 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting. He tied for the team-high in rebounds alongside
Iran Hollis (Jr., Hollywood, Fla.) and
Lukas Roesch (Jr., Sugar Grove, Ohio) with five.
Tim Traversa (Jr., Chicago, Ill.) matched Tampa’s total assist output with a team-best six while
Louie Schonauer (Jr., Lincoln, Ill.) followed behind with five assists.
The game got off to a snail’s pace as both teams only scored 25 points in the first half. The Sharks shot 55 percent in the period but only took 20 field goal attempts. The Sharks were stunted in the half due to a slow paced game, 10 turnovers and a rebounding margin of -3.
Shaun Pratl (Jr., Chicago Ridge, Ill.) was the leading scorer at halftime with six points.
The second half seemed like a different contest as the Sharks outscored the Spartans, 36-19. The Sharks also more than doubled their rebounds over the last twenty minutes with 26 boards, 10 of which were on the offensive end. The Sharks trailed only once in the second half after a free throw, just 1:30 into the period. After that, the Sharks went on a 10-3 run and never looked back.
NSU took a double-digit lead for the first time at 44-33 with 8:16 remaining. The Sharks would lead by as much as 20 points at 57-37 with four minutes left on the clock. No player from Tampa would make more than two field goals in the half, as the Sharks cruised to their first victory since Jan. 21.
The crowd was recorded at 807 fans, the largest crowd at the NSU Arena this season. For the first time in 2012, some fans were forced to sit in the upper deck section. Pratl finished the game with 12 points, four rebounds and two assists.
Sean Mullan (Jr., Mangerton, Australia) claimed second on the team in scoring with 13 points on 5-for-11 shooting. He went 3-for-6 from 3-point range in the second half.
Teddy Tassy (Sr., Port-au-Prince, Haiti) tallied eight points and three rebounds.
The Sharks will take a break from Sunshine State Conference action and take on Palm Beach Atlantic at home Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 7:30 p.m.
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