Box Score MELBOURNE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern men's basketball team (0-2) took a close loss to the Claflin Panthers (1-1), 71-69, Saturday in Florida Tech's SSC vs. SIAC Challenge.
Brian Cahill (Jr., Arlington, Va.) scored a team-high 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting. He scored 11 of his total in the second half, sparking a late comeback attempt. Cahill tied
Stian Berg (Jr., Baerum, Norway) for the team lead in assists with five.
Casey Carroll (So., Youngstown, Ohio) had a team-best 10 rebounds and played the full 40 minutes. He added seven points and three blocks.
"You never like to lose but we learned a lot about our team this weekend and we came away from the loss to Claflin with a lot of positives," said head coach
Gary Tuell. "
We were very disappointed with our effort and toughness in the loss to Paine on Friday. We did trim a 21 point deficit to five with just over five to play, but then we squandered that comeback with a disappointing defensive effort in the closing minutes. Against Claflin we were much better defensively, our effort on the boards was better, our communication was better and we showed a competitive spirit that so far this year has been lacking.
The Sharks began the game with a renewed sense of energy on defense, but had trouble knocking down good shots. NSU started the first half shooting 3-for-12 and 1-for-6 from 3-point range, allowing Claflin to build a 12-7 lead in the first nine minutes. With the long ball not falling, NSU looked to penetrate and shot 5-for-8 over the remainder of the half.
The Sharks would take a 16-15 lead with eight minutes remaining, but Claflin answered back with hot shooting of their own. The Panthers would outscore NSU, 22-9, over the rest of the period to take a 37-25 lead at the break. The Sharks were victims of a cold start, with their five starters shooting a combined 5-for-13. Berg continued his perfect shooting streak, going 2-for-2 in the first half with five points.
Chris Page (So., Plainfield, Ind.) was the Sharks' leading scorer through 20 minutes with seven points. Page finished the game with 12 points and six rebounds.
NSU cut into the Claflin lead by shooting 6-for-8 to start the period. After cutting the deficit down to five points, NSU committed two straight turnovers that swallowed the momentum. Claflin slowed the game down and worked their way back to a 47-39 lead with 13:07 left on the clock. NSU responded with a 6-0 run, but the Panthers returned five unanswered points of their own.
Claflin scored just well enough to hold the Sharks back, shooting 50 percent over the final nine minutes. However, NSU shot its way back in the ball game by shooting at a 78 percent clip in the second half. NSU worked its way down to a two-point deficit with less than a minute left, and drew a charging call to earn a chance to tie or win on the last possession with 11 seconds left. The Panthers pressed the Sharks and caused a turnover at the midcourt line, giving NSU its second loss of the weekend.
Claflin took care of the ball all game long and did not give the hot-shooting Sharks many extra possessions, committing only six turnovers to NSU's 13. The Panthers also collected 14 offensive rebounds, including two down the stretch that kept the Sharks from having a chance to tie before the one minute mark.
"I was really impressed with Claflin both nights in the tournament," stated Tuell. "They are disciplined, well-coached, solid at both ends of the floor and their guys are very smart and skilled. They have some terrific shooters, too. There's no shame in a two-point loss to those guys and if not for a couple of mistakes late and a 65-foot 3-pointer they made at the end of the first half, we could have won.
"We got an opportunity to play a some young guys and while they made too many mental mistakes and some physical mistakes, I thought it was a good learning experience for three of our freshmen (
Mike Terry,
Cameron Denney and
Brandon Patchan) and our two sophomore transfers (Carroll and Page).
Terry (Fr., Ironton, Ohio) started for the second straight night and scored 13 points. He shot 5-for-7 in the second half.
Justin Jeangerard (Jr., Weaverville, Calif.) scored an efficient 10 points on 3-for-4 shooting in his first start of the season.
"Stian Berg had a good weekend and showed how far he has come. Maurice Fuller (Jr., Westfield, Ind.) played his rear end off and both Brian Cahill and Justin Jeangerard did some good things," said Tuell. "Patience is at a premium for this young team right now. It's so early and we've thrown a lot of stuff at them. We shot over 55 percent both nights, which is terrific. The defense and rebounding will come. It will take time but if the commitment is there we will learn and grow from these two games. That's what it's about right now.
"We have West Liberty coming to town Friday. That will be another great learning opportunity for our young guys. We're looking forward to it."
The Sharks will have their toughest test of the season at home on Friday, Nov. 15 when they face No. 3 West Liberty at 6 p.m. The game will serve as the culmination of Homecoming Week.
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