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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The No. 23 Nova Southeastern women’s team looks to stay atop the Sunshine State Conference when they host Barry at the NSU Arena in the Don Taft University Center Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

The Sharks (13-4, 5-2 SSC) are tied for first place in the conference with Florida Tech, who travels to Tampa Wednesday. Both teams prevailed on Saturday, with NSU’s win coming in dramatic fashion.

Against Lynn, the Sharks trailed by seven at the half and by as many as 10 following the break. With 3:35 left, the Fighting Knights led by five, 65-60. From that point on, NSU outscored the home team 9-2, and the game-winning 3-pointer by Amanda Burakoski (Jr., Brooklyn, N.Y.) came with just 2.6 seconds left on the clock.

Burakoski, who had struggled with just eight points in the previous two games combined, and was only 1-6 for two points in the first half against Lynn, exploded in the second, going 5-5 (3-3 on 3-pointers) for 15 points. She scored eight of the last nine Shark points.

Two other key contributors to the Sharks’ win over Lynn were Richelle Carach (Jr., Naples, Fla.) and Julia Salmio (Jr., Vantaa, Finland). Carach was 4-6 from the field in the first half for nine points, and ended up with a career-high 15 points off the bench. Salmio had not appeared the in the previous three games, but in nine minutes against the Fighting Knights, was perfect from the field (3-3) and buried her first NSU 3-pointer for seven points.

“Riki is one of most consistent players on the offensive end, and we must continue to get her looks around the basket,” said head coach LeAnn Freeland. “Julia has been playing great in practice and I have full confidence in her abilities. She was a great spark for us on Saturday.”

For the Sharks, who still rank first in the SSC and fourth in all of Division II in scoring margin (+20 points), Saturday was the first game to come down to the last possession. They have only had five games now decided by 10 points or less, with the Lynn win being their second in such contests (the other being 68-61 over Tampa).

“Our players have shown resiliency over the past two weeks to finish games strong, and the win at Lynn was a pivotal moment in the season,” said Freeland. “The players executed the final play well and Jessica (Russi) found Amanda for the game-winning shot.”

Another telling statistic the last few games has been a cut down in turnovers. The last three games, the Sharks are averaging less than 12 a game, compared to an average of nearly 20 in their first 15 contests. But even at that point, they were averaging 4.6 less turnovers than their opponents, and that SSC-leading number is now up to 5.4.

“The turnover margin has been one of our strengths all season,” said Freeland. “As we go deeper into conference play, we have to rely on our defensive pressure to create turnovers while making sure we get a good shot every possession. We have recently won games due to the disparity in the turnover column.”

Wednesday’s opposition, Barry (10-6, 2-5 SSC) had lost two straight in conference play before taking out then-No. 25 Tampa Saturday, 64-60. Coach Freeland is not looking past the Buccaneers.

“Even though Barry is sitting near the bottom of the SSC, they are a quality team and can beat any team in our league any night,” said Freeland. “We must be ready to play.” 

Tipoff is at 5:30 p.m., and fans at home can tune in via live audio/video HERE and for live stats HERE. Follow the Sharks on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NSUSharks.

SHARK STATS

• Burakoski leads the conference in 3-point percentage (43.5%, also good enough for eighth in the country) and is second in field goal percentage (54.4%) and third in 3-pointers made per game (2.2). She is eighth in scoring (13.6 PPG).

• Meixandra Porter (Sr., Chantilly, Va.) is tied for first in the SSC in steals (2.5) and is second in scoring (15.8) and 3-pointers made per game (2.5).

• Danielle Robinson (So., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), who had 23 points against Florida Tech last week and 13 vs. Lynn, is still fifth in the conference in scoring (14.8 PPG). She is also fourth in 3-point percentage (37.6%) and fifth in 3-pointers per game (2.1).

• Jessica Russi (Jr., Lake Mary, Fla.) continues to lead the SSC in assists (5.4). That ranks her 12th in all of DII.

• Tailor Jones (Sr., Altamonte Springs, Fla.) has scored eight points or more in seven of her last eight games. She notched a new career-high point total against FIT with 19, and had 14 against Lynn. She is the fourth double-digit scorer for the Sharks at 10.6, which moves her up five slots since the last SSC report, to 16th. She is also third in assists (3.9) and fifth in both field goal percentage (48.2%) and steals (2.0).

• The Sharks are still top-five nationally in scoring margin (fourth), field goal percentage (fourth, 46.3%) and scoring offense (fifth, 79.5 PPG). They lead the SSC in eight team categories.

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