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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – For the fourth time this season, the Nova Southeastern women’s basketball team will match up with fellow Sunshine State Conference opponent Rollins College, this time with the season on the line.
The same promotion that packed the NSU arena in the Don Taft University Center Friday night will be offered for the game. Any faculty, staff or student wearing NSU gear and presenting their Shark card at the box office will receive free admission to Saturday's game (one free ticket per Shark card).
The Sharks (21-8) and Tars (22-8) will tip off at 7:30 on Saturday from the NSU Arena in the Don Taft University Center. NSU was co-SSC regular season champion, while Rollins eliminated the Sharks on their way to winning the postseason SBC Championships.
The teams will rematch on Saturday, just a week after meeting in the SSC semifinals, and each advanced from Friday's first round in a totally different fashion.
NSU's game was never really in doubt. They led from wire-to-wire and were up 39 in the second half, before winning by 27 over No. 8 seed Clark Atlanta, 87-60. The Sharks had five scorers in double digits in the victory.
The final game on Friday was the closest affair of the day, between No. 5 Rollins and another SSC foe, No. 4 Lynn. An Ashley Jones 3-pointer with 3:19 to go was not only the go-ahead basket, but the final points of the night for either team, in a 45-44 Tars win.
NSU swept the regular season series between these two teams, winning 77-62 on Jan. 16 on Rollins' home floor, and 85-76 at the NSU Arena on Feb. 20. However, when they met in the SSC Championships, it was Rollins advancing past the Sharks on their way to winning the entire tournament.
In the semifinal round a week ago today, the Sharks led for nearly all of the first 38 minutes of the game. They were up nine with 5:16 left, but an 11-0 Tars run gave them the lead for the first time all afternoon at the 2:18 mark. NSU would tie it up with 1:11 to go, but a layup by Tara McDaniel pushed Rollins back ahead to stay, in an 83-80 win.
Tip off again is at 7:30, following the completion of the day's other second round matchup (Delta State vs. Alabama-Huntsville, beginning at 5 p.m.). Monday's South Region Championship, between the winners of these two games, will be at 7 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.
