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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The No. 20 Nova Southeastern women’s basketball team, coming off a loss to Florida Tech, will look to bounce back when they face Sunshine State co-leader Lynn on Saturday in Boca Raton, Fla.
The Sharks (12-4, 4-2 SSC) fell behind on Wednesday to FIT by 20 early, and as many as 18 in the second half. They cut it to three with 4:30 left, but were outscored 14-7 to end the game, losing by 10 (83-73). The loss snapped a six-game winning streak, NSU’s longest of the season.
Lynn (11-5, 4-2 SSC) also lost on Wednesday, to out-of-conference foe Palm Beach Atlantic, 77-61. The Fighting Knights, NSU and FIT now all sit at 4-2 in conference play.
“Our players know the majority of teams we have played this year have played their best game against us,” said head coach LeAnn Freeland. “Moving forward, we must bring the focus and effort needed to be successful on both ends.”
Both of the Sharks’ last two opponents, Tampa and FIT, shot over 55 percent from the field. While NSU ranks first in the SSC in field goal percentage (.467), teams are shooting .400 against them, which ranks them ninth.
“Defense is the hallmark of our program and it hasn’t been up to par over the past three games,” said Freeland. “Our players know this and are making the necessary adjustments to improve. I am looking forward to our defensive effort at Lynn, because we are going to play the players who emulate the communication and effort that meet our standards on the defensive end.”
Lynn comes in on the opposite end of the spectrum, as the toughest team to shoot against both from the field (34.8 percent) and behind the arc (24.1 percent). They are also third in the conference in scoring defense, only allowing 56 points a game.
On offense, the Fighting Knights feature the SSC’s leading scorer, Kira Harvey, at 18.6 points, which includes a conference-best 2.9 made 3-pointers per game.
Tipoff on Saturday is 2 p.m. from Boca Raton. Fans at home can tune in via live audio
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SHARK STATS
• As a result of her five steals against FIT,
Meixandra Porter (Sr., Chantilly, Va.) now tops all players in the conference in steals per game, at 2.7. She trails only Harvey in points per game (16.6) and 3-pointers per game (2.6).
•
Danielle Robinson (So., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) moved up one slot in scoring, to fifth, at 14.9 points a game after her 23-point output Wednesday. She is also fifth in the SSC in 3-point percentage (36.8%) and is sixth in both steals (2.0) and 3-pointers per game (2.0).
•
Amanda Burakoski (Jr., Brooklyn, N.Y.) and
Tailor Jones (Sr., Altamonte Springs, Fla.) round out the double-digit scorers for the Sharks. Burakoski is at 13.4, eighth in the SSC, and Jones is at 10.3, ranking her 21st.
• Burakoski is second among shooters in field goal percentage (54.4%) and 3-point percentage (43.0%), both marks topping the team. Her 2.1 made 3-pointers a game is fifth overall in the SSC.
• Jones ranks second on the squad and fifth in the conference in steals per game at 2.1. She is sixth in field goal percentage, moving up five slots since the last report, at 47.5 percent, and stays pat at third in assists (4.1).
• The 5.6 assist-per-game average for
Jessica Russi (Jr., Lake Mary, Fla.) is the SSC’s best, and her 89 assists is 20 more than anyone else in the conference.
• While the Sharks no longer lead the conference in rebounding margin, they now lead all SSC teams in turnover margin, averaging 5.3 less a game than they force. They also lead the SSC in scoring offense, scoring margin, field goal percentage, assists, steals, assist/turnover ratio and 3-pointers made per game.
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