Box Score BOX SCORE
MELBOURNE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern women’s basketball team clinched the No. 1 seed for the Sunshine State Conference Basketball Championships with a 74-71 win on the road Wednesday night over Florida Tech.
On a night where the team found out that it also moved into the top slot in the NCAA South Regional rankings, NSU (19-6, 11-4 SSC) sent FIT (16-9, 8-7 SSC) to its fifth straight loss. The Sharks were down four with about 90 seconds remaining, 68-64. On the ensuing possession, Shark guard
Meixandra Porter (Sr., Chantilly, Va.) hit a huge 3-pointer to make it a one-point game.
Immediately,
Jessica Russi (Jr., Lake Mary, Fla.) picked off an outlet pass (her fourth steal of the night) and though her layup missed,
Danielle Robinson (So., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) crashed the lane for her 14th rebound. She was fouled on the putback attempt, and hit 1-of-2 free throws to knot things up at 68-68.
The Shark defense held, forcing a missed Kayk Wilson layup. Russi got the rebound and got it ahead to Porter, who raced past everyone on the floor for a layup to put the Sharks up two with 40 seconds left, 70-68. It was a lead that they wouldn’t relinquish, as
Amanda Burakoski (Jr., Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Porter sealed it with four free throws in as many attempts in the final 20 seconds.
"Any win at Florida Tech is a good win," said head coach LeAnn Freeland. "Even when things didn't go our way, our players stayed together and pushed forward. It was a total team win; everyone stepped up to contribute when we needed it."
Porter tied for game-high honors (along with FIT’s Wilson) with 27 points on the night, 24 of which came in the second half. In addition to Robinson’s career-high 14 boards, she added 12 points, while
Tailor Jones (Sr., Altamonte Springs, Fla.) had 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
"Rarely plagued by foul trouble, Meix picked up three quick fouls in the first half," said Freeland. "She was unphased and determined, and came out in the second half with 24 points to ensure the win."
The Sharks also clinched at least a share of the SSC regular season title with Wednesday's win. On the season’s final day, this Saturday, March 2, NSU will face Barry on the road for a 2 p.m. tip, while at the same time, Lynn (10-5 in the conference) travels to Eckerd. A Shark win or Lynn loss gives NSU the outright conference title; a Shark loss
and Lynn win would make the two teams SSC co-champions. The Sharks’ two-game sweep of Lynn this season gives them the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament no matter what Saturday’s results are.
For the latest NSU news and results, be sure to visit
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clicking here. For the latest news, be sure to sign up for the Shark Alert E-newsletter by
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