Live Video/Audio | Live Stats
Game Notes
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The No. 4 Nova Southeastern women's basketball team returns home for the first time in nearly a month as they host border rival Barry University on Wednesday night at the NSU Arena, with tipoff at 5:30 p.m.
The Sharks (12-0, 3-0 SSC) won their 11th straight game by double digits, and 12th overall, by defeating Palm Beach Atlantic on Saturday, 77-64. This was the closest final for NSU since the season opener, for a team ranked second in the nation in scoring margin, winning by an average of 25.8 points per game. They haven't played on their home floor since before the holiday break, in the Shark Invitational on Dec. 17.
While
Jasmine Wilkins (R-Jr., Miami) was awarded SSC Player of the Week for her efforts against PBA as well as Lynn the previous Wednesday (15 points and 9.5 rebounds per), she wasn't the only viable candidate on the team.
Amanda Burakoski (Sr., Brooklyn, N.Y.) averaged 17.5 points in the two wins, including going a combined 9-for-15 on 3-pointers.
Taylor Buie (So., Puyallup, Wash.) was also at 17.5 points per, while
Jessica Russi (Sr., Lake Mary, Fla.) averaged 6.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists.
Wednesday could be a milestone night for junior guard
Danielle Robinson (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), who sits just 16 points away from 1,000 in her career. She would join the short list of Jessica Pate (1,692), Stephanie Sarosi (1,655), Jennifer Havens (1,053) and Abbie Tepe (1,029) in the all-time NSU women's 1,000-point club.
Barry (8-4, 1-2 SSC) just had a five-game winning streak snapped on Saturday by Saint Leo, 78-65. The run had started with an 88-69 defeat of No. 23 Shaw in Fort Lauderdale on Dec. 16. In fact, this will be Barry's fifth game this season at the NSU Arena, having previously competed in two showcases – the Tipoff Classic and Shark Invitational – and going 2-2 in those games.
The Bucs feature the league's top scorer, and two-time 2013-14 SSC Player of the Week, in senior guard Tyler Hardy. She averages 19.9 points a game, shooting 57 percent from the field (fifth in the conference), while also tying for the league lead in rebounding at 8.6 per. Fellow senior guard Colette Eule ties with
Richelle Carach (Sr., Naples, Fla.) of the Sharks for sixth in the SSC in scoring (14.0).
The Sharks remain one of six undefeated women's teams in DII. These teams now make up all of the top six in the USA Today Coaches' Poll: No. 1 Bentley (14-0), No. 2 Gannon (16-0), No. 3 Emporia State (16-0), No. 4 NSU (12-0), No. 5 Colorado Mesa (14-0) and No. 6 Harding (15-0). Each of the top four play on Wednesday, while Harding plays next on Thursday and Colorado Mesa is off until Saturday.
Live video/audio can be
found here for Wednesday's 5:30 game, and live stats will be available
at this link.
SHARK STATS
• The Sharks now boast five players averaging double digits: Buie (17.3, third in the SSC), Carach (tied for sixth, 14.0), Robinson (13.7, eighth), Wilkins (12.1, 12th) and Burakoski (10.8, 17th). The team, at 89.1 points a night, ranks third in DII, and also slots third in both field goal percentage (49.3) and 3-point percentage (40.4).
• Besides scoring offense, scoring margin and field goal and 3-point percentage, the team has top-five national showings in assists (first, 21.7), made 3-pointers per game (second, 10.8) and assist/turnover ratio (fifth, +1.33).
• All of these marks lead the conference, as does the team's free throw percentage (74.1, 42nd in the nation) and 3-point defense (24.4, 12th in the nation).
• Individually, Russi now ties for the nation's lead in assists with Sade Jackson of Adelphi at 9.5 per. Carach is second (66.3) and Wilkins fifth (63.6) in field goal percentage, while Carach is also ninth (92.5) in free throw percentage. All of these lead the conference with the exception, of course, of Wilkins, who is second behind Carach.
• Buie ranks ninth in the nation in 3-pointers per game (3.3) and 13th in 3-point percentage (48.1). By virtue of going 15-of-23 from long range in her last four games, Burakoski has shot up to 17th in the country in percentage (45.2). Buie ranks first in the SSC both categories, while Burakoski is third in percentage and sixth in made per game.
• Russi is third (2.5) and Robinson sixth (1.6) in steals per game.
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