LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern women’s basketball team prepares for one of the most significant games in program history when they host Clark Atlanta in the first round of the 2013 NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Championship tournament, starting 6 p.m. Friday night at the NSU Arena in the Don Taft University Center.
The Sharks (20-8) are the host and No. 1 seed in the South Region, which begins on Friday by pitting eight teams against one another in four first-round games. NSU will face No. 8 Clark Atlanta (19-10), Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champions, in the third game of the day.
“It is a tremendous privilege for NSU to be selected to host the NCAA South Regional as the No. 1 seed,” said head coach LeAnn Freeland. “Our athletic administration and staff have worked tirelessly to prepare for this weekend. All eight teams will enjoy our hospitality and accommodations.”
The NSU Arena is one of eight venues selected across the nation as host sites for the tournament. Coach Freeland and the Sharks realize that they are one of just 64 teams remaining, of the 278 teams in DII, a fact they don’t take lightly.
“One of our goals for the season was to earn a bid to the NCAA tournament,” said Freeland. “Every season, teams hope to be watching the NCAA Tournament Selection Show and see their name on the bracket. It was a great moment on Sunday night for our players and coaches to see Nova Southeastern University on the screen."
The Sharks were not guaranteed a spot in the tournament, let alone being chosen as the host site, because they lost in the SSC Championships to Rollins (who eventually earned the conference’s automatic bid). Coupled with the team’s regular season finale loss to Barry, NSU comes in having fallen in two of their last three games.
“Our coaching staff and team has a very short memory,” said Freeland. “It is important for us to learn from both our wins and our losses and move forward.”
While the Sharks were eliminated in the SSC semifinals on March 9, Clark Atlanta (19-10) marched through the SIAC Championship, winning the final game on March 2 over Benedict, 75-58. The Panthers have won their last six games and 14 of their last 16, overcoming a 3-6 start to the season.
“Clark Atlanta played very well throughout the SIAC championship and clearly had a mission to get to the NCAA Tournament,” said Freeland. “It will be important for us to contain their guards and limit their post players’ touches in the paint. They are an athletic team who like to push the ball.”
Two Panthers were named first-team All-SIAC: Conisha Hicks (16.4 points, 3.8 assists and 3.3 steals per game, all team highs) and La’Quisha Lewis, who finished just below a double-double average with 9.2 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.
These two teams met in the NSU Classic on this very same floor, all the way back on Nov. 17. The Sharks had five in double digits, led by Meixandra Porter (Sr., Chantilly, Va.) with 19, in a 91-62 victory.
NSU and Clark Atlanta will follow two other games on Friday, and winner will face whoever comes out on top in the final game of the night. The entire first day game schedule is as follows:
Game 1: No. 3 Delta State (19-9) vs. No. 6 North Alabama (20-10), 12 p.m.
Game 2: No. 2 Tuskegee (19-7) vs. No. 7 Alabama-Huntsville (15-16), 2:30 p.m.
Game 3: No. 1 Nova Southeastern (20-8) vs. No. 8 Clark Atlanta (19-10), 6 p.m.
Game 4: No. 4 Lynn (18-9) vs. No. 5 Rollins (21-8), 8:30 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.
