WBB Shark Invitational Central
Live Video/Audio | Live Stats
Game Notes
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The No. 4 Nova Southeastern women's basketball team has its final showcase event of the regular season this upcoming Monday and Tuesday when they host Benedict and No. 23 Shaw at the NSU Arena for the 2013 Shark Invitational.
The Sharks (7-0, 1-0 SSC) took their Sunshine State Conference opener on Dec. 7 by a 110-65 margin over Florida Southern, breaking three game records in the process. Their 110 points came on 64.5 percent shooting and included 19 3-pointers, all three marks setting new program standards.
Richelle Carach (Sr., Naples, Fla.) extended her streak of double-digit scoring efforts to seven, leading six scorers with 12 or more for the Sharks as she totaled 16 in the win.
Jessica Russi (Sr., Lake Mary, Fla.) broke her own school record for the second time this season and third time overall, dishing out 15 assists against only one turnover.
The 19 made 3-pointers included five from
Taylor Buie (So., Puyallup, Wash.) and three each from
Molly Blomer (So., West Chester, Ohio) and
Ashley Robinson (Fr., Jensen Beach, Fla.). Those totals are all new career highs, and Robinson blitzed past her previous best of four points with 15 on Saturday, all coming in the second half.
With their fine shooting performance against FSC, the Sharks made big leaps in many offensive categories in the nation, now ranking in the top 10 in seven statistical areas. They moved to fourth in scoring offense, up from eighth; jumped to second from 14th in field goal percentage; to third in both assists (from 13th) and 3-pointers per game (from 16th); to seventh in 3-point percentage (from 46th); and to ninth in both scoring margin (from 13th) and assist/turnover ratio (from 32nd). They lead the SSC in each of those categories as well.
Next week, the Sharks will welcome in two teams that have each only suffered one loss this season. Benedict will be 5-1 coming into Monday's matchup, having lost only their season opener, in overtime to Armstrong. They have the stingiest defense in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (and 29th-best nationally), only giving up 58.2 points per game.
No. 23 Shaw is also 5-1, with their lone loss coming to Belmont Abbey on Nov. 26. This past Wednesday, the Bears defeated previously-unbeaten No. 20 District of Columbia, 81-62, and on Saturday, they notched their third straight win, 82-66 over Goldey-Beacom. The Bears met up with the Sharks last season in their own Shaw Invitational, and won on their home floor in Raleigh, N.C., 97-82.
Fellow SSC school Barry will be back for their second NSU showcase, after earlier taking part in the Tipoff Classic. They will flip with the Sharks and play Shaw first, on Monday, and then Benedict on Tuesday.
Barry's matchups will take place each day at 4 p.m., while the Sharks will play in the 6 p.m. slot. In addition, following the Tuesday games, the NSU men will host No. 13 Livingstone, at 8 p.m. All games will have live video streaming, while the NSU contests will have audio, available
at this link. All will have live stats that can be
found here.
SHARK STATS
• For the second straight week, Buie slots fourth in the conference in scoring, now at 16.3 per game. She moved into first among all shooters in 3-pointers made per game (3.1), is still second in assist/turnover ratio (2.8), and bumped up to fourth from seventh in 3-point percentage (48.9).
• Russi and Carach not only rank atop the SSC, but are only one below the national leaders in their respective categories. Russi's assist average of 9.0 is first in the conference and is just behind Sade Jackson of Adelphi, who is at 10.0 per. Carach's field goal shooting, 72.0 percent, is first in the SSC and second in the nation, only trailing Becca Rucker of Delta State (75.6 percent).
• Carach is also tops on the team in free throw percentage (92.9), which is first among all qualifiers in the league (teammate
Amanda Burakoski (Sr., Brooklyn, N.Y.) is at the same percentage, but falls short of the minimum amount of attempts). Carach's rebounding average of 6.7 is also best on the Sharks and is 10th league-wide.
• Russi's steal average of 2.4 is third in the conference, and she is sixth in assist/turnover ratio (1.8) and tied for seventh in blocked shots (1.0).
•
Jasmine Wilkins (Sr., Miami) is the next highest Shark in the national rankings, as she is seventh in field goal percentage (67.3), which is third best in the SSC. She also is ranked among the conference steal leaders, fourth, at 1.6 per game.
• After Buie in scoring, it's
Danielle Robinson (Jr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), sixth in the SSC at 15.1, Carach seventh at 14.9, and Wilkins 14th at 11.3.
• Robinson is fifth in the league in 3-point percentage (47.8), one slot ahead of teammate
Alexis Murphy (So., Carlisle, Ohio), at 47.1 percent.
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