Box Score BOX SCORE
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern women’s basketball team snapped a two-game losing streak by defeating Tampa Saturday at the NSU Arena in the Don Taft University Center, 66-56.
For the first nine minutes, the game was back and forth, with nine lead changes and one tie. The Sharks (16-6, 8-4 SSC) trailed by one, 14-13, with 11:04 remaining. Over the span of the next seven-plus minutes,
Meixandra Porter (Sr., Chantilly, Va.) scored 14 points (including four 3-pointers) during a 16-0 NSU run that pushed them ahead 29-14.
Tampa finally dented the scoreboard again at the 3:19 mark, and actually scored the final nine points of the first half to cut it to six at 29-23. But that was the closest the Spartans would get for the remainder of the game as
Amanda Burakoski (Jr., Brooklyn, N.Y.) buried a 3-pointer on the Sharks’ first possession after the break. NSU led by as many as 21 points in the second half on their way to the 10-point win.
"I am proud of our effort today," said head coach LeAnn Freeland. "Despite the adversity we faced during the week, our players pulled together and showed a lot of toughness to get the win."
The Sharks only had eight players dressed on Saturday with two more players out due to injury. They were led in scoring by Burakoski, who had 15 of her 17 in the second 20 minutes, while Porter had 14 of her 16 in the first.
Danielle Robinson (So., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) added 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting and notched an NSU season high with seven steals. In the span of 1:23 in the second half, Robinson had three breakaway layups, two coming off of steals by the sophomore.
The Sharks as a team had 15 steals and forced the Spartans into 24 turnovers, leading them to a 27-12 points-off-turnovers advantage. In addition, point guard
Jessica Russi (Jr., Lake Mary, Fla.) had seven assists compared to only one turnover.
Tampa (14-8, 4-8 SSC) was led by Juliana Cavallaro with 15 points, while Moriah Hodge added 13.
The Sharks are now tied for second in the conference, a half-game behind new SSC leaders. Florida Tech had sole possession of first place in the standings coming into the day, but lost to Saint Leo in overtime, 72-70, to fall into to 8-4 in SSC play. Lynn, who nipped Rollins at home on Saturday, 48-47, is now ahead of the pack with a 9-4 conference mark.
NSU will be back in action on Wednesday, Feb. 20, hosting Rollins. Tipoff from the NSU Arena will be at 5:30 p.m.
For the latest NSU news and results, be sure to visit
www.NSUSharks.com. To have results sent directly to your cell phone via text message, sign up for SMS text message delivery by
clicking here. For the latest news, be sure to sign up for the Shark Alert E-newsletter by
clicking here.
