BOX SCORE
MELBOURNE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern women’s basketball team (12-9, 5-7 SSC) rallied late, but succumbed to the Florida Tech Panthers (15-7, 6-6 SSC), 60-51, Wednesday at the Clemente Center in Melbourne, Fla.
Meixandra Porter (Jr., Chantilly, Va.) opened the scoring with a jumper just 21 seconds into the action, but it would be the only points for the Sharks over the next 4:45. Trailing the Panthers 6-2 out of the first media timeout, the Sharks scored five straight points, getting a layup from
Jasmine Wilkins (So., Miami, Fla.) and a triple from Porter.
Porter extended NSU’s lead to five, 16-11, with a fast break lay-in, coupled with another 3-pointer at the 10:26 mark of the first half.
Quinessa Johnson (Sr., West Chester, Ohio) and
Danielle Robinson (Fr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) then got in on the action from long range, hitting treys on back-to-back possessions to put the Sharks ahead 24-15 with 5:35 left in the half.
The Panthers clawed their way back into the game, finishing the half on a 15-6 run to go into the locker room at the break down just four, 30-26. Porter led all scorers at the intermission with 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting. As a team, NSU shot only slightly better than Florida Tech, shooting at a 36.3 percent (12-of-33) clip compared to 35.7 percent (10-of-28).
Florida Tech continued its momentum in the opening moments of the second half, going on a 6-1 run to take a 32-31 lead, which brought a timeout from the NSU bench at the 16:16 mark. The Panthers continued their offensive hot streak through the first eight minutes of the half, using a 17-1 run to build a 43-31 advantage. Robinson finally stopped the bleeding with 11:38 showing on the clock with the Sharks first field goal, trimming the Florida Tech lead to 10.
NSU continued to make up ground, cutting the deficit down to five, 47-42, with a
Richelle Carach (So., Naples, Fla.) layup in transition off a nice bounce pass from Robinson. The Sharks closed the gap to two, 51-49, with 1:10 left after Carach converted an old fashion three-point play and
Jessica Russi (So., Lake Mary, Fla.) hit a leaning jumper from the left side of the basket.
Ashton McClairen halted the Sharks rally the next time down the court, draining a 3-pointer with a minute remaining. The Panthers converted their free throws down the stretch to capture a 60-51 victory.
McClairen led all scorers with 15 points, while Porter and Carach each recorded 13 for NSU. The Panthers won the battle on the boards, grabbing 46 rebounds, while NSU snagged only 36.
The Sharks will look to rebound Saturday at home when Tampa visits the NSU Arena at the Don Taft University Center for a 2 p.m. matchup.
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