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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The 2011-12 regular season has come to an end and the top eight teams in the Sunshine State Conference are now preparing for the SSC Tournament, which begins Wednesday, Feb. 29. The fifth-seed Nova Southeastern women’s basketball team (16-10, 8-8 SSC) will be on the road, taking on fourth-seed Eckerd in St. Petersburg, Fla. Tip-off has been set for 5:30 p.m.
Head coach LeAnn Freeland has led the Sharks to 16 wins in her first season at the helm of NSU’s women’s basketball program. It is the highest win total since the Sharks posted 24 wins and a SSC Tournament Championship in the 2007-08 season.
The Sharks will be seeking their first SSC Tournament win since knocking off Florida Southern in the first round of the 2009 tournament, 82-71, at home. NSU and Eckerd squared off twice this season with the Tritons coming away with victories in both meetings.
On Dec. 10, the Sharks visited the McArthur Center and lost to the Tritons, 71-55. The second meeting at the NSU Arena Feb. 1 was a much closer affair, but the result was still the same as Eckerd claimed a 50-48 win. The Sharks went down 15 points early, but battled back to get the Sharks within two points with 33 seconds remaining.
Meixandra Porter (Jr., Chantilly, Va.) had one final attempt to tie the game, but the ball just would not drop through the net.
NSU ended the regular season on the losing end of a close battle with No. 14 Rollins. The Tars came away with a 62-60 win despite trailing most of the contest. Prior to that game, NSU had been victorious in four straight contests, all of which the Sharks won by at least 10 points.
"Our team is ready for the conference tournament,” commented coach Freeland. “We are playing our best basketball of the season and are heading to Eckerd with a mission. Our team has fought to improve everyday as a unit and have proven to be a contender in the league. The team that wants it more will win."
Eckerd ended its season with a pair of victories, including a double-overtime triumph at Saint Leo. The Tritons concluded the regular season with a home win over Lynn, 66-51.
The Tritons have won the last four meetings against the Sharks. NSU last downed Eckerd Feb. 6, 2010 on the road, 54-53, as current assistant coach Abbie Tepe hit a last-second 3-pointer for the Sharks.
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