Box Score
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern University men's basketball team (5-10, 2-2 SSC) erased a 12 point deficit against its South Florida rivals, the Barry Buccaneers (10-3, 1-3 SSC), to earn a home win Wednesday, 72-70.
Stian Berg (Jr., Baerum, Norway) had a stellar outing, scoring a team-high 21 points on 7-for-9 shooting from the floor and 5-for-6 shooting from 3-point range. He also collected a team-best six rebounds.
Chris Page (So., Plainfield, Ind.) scored 15 points on 7-for-12 shooting. He also tallied four rebounds and tied for the team-lead with four assists.
"I couldn't be happier or more proud of our team," stated head coach Gary Tuell. "Everyone who played contributed something positive. This was truly a team effort.
"Chris Page helped us stay within reach when Barry threatened to run away with it in the first half. And then Stian Berg put us on his shoulders and led us in the second half. I think this was Stian's finest game when you consider all the ways he helped us.
Maurice Fuller (Jr., Westfield, Ind.) and
Justin Jeangerard (Jr., Weaverville, Calif.) hit huge timely shots down the stretch.
Casey Carroll (So., Youngstown, Ohio) hit the biggest free throws of the night and was outstanding defensively.
Brian Cahill (Jr., Arlington, Va.) is worn out right now but he plays through it. And how about Patch?
Brandon Patchan (Fr., Tampa, Fla.) showed you flashes of why I think he's going to be a monster in this league some day. His blocked shots and rebounds were huge."
The night did not look hopeful for Sharks fans in the first half. NSU scored the opening bucket, before Barry went on an 8-0 run to give the road team a lead they would not give up until the final six minutes of the game. The Bucs would take their largest lead of the game with five minutes left in the first half, up 30-18. NSU would push the deficit back to single digits before the break, trailing 40-31 at halftime.
The Sharks went cold in the first half, shooting 2-for-11 from 3-point range. They were also getting beat on the glass, 22-15, and only caused three Barry turnovers. Page entered halftime with nine points on 4-for-7 shooting.
The theme of the night continued into the second half, as Barry reestablished their double-digit lead within two minutes. With Barry up 48-37 just four minutes into the period, the game was forced to take a 25 minute delay due to technical issues in the arena. The break would be a blessing for the Sharks, who found their shooting touch when the game resumed. NSU would go on to make 7-of-13 3-pointers in the second half and shoot 58 percent from the floor (15-for-26).
At the 5:59 mark, NSU tied the game for the first time on a Fuller 3-pointer. Barry's leading scorer, Juan Ferrales, quickly answered back with a trey of his own, but NSU took its second lead of the game at 70-68 on a Berg 3-pointer with 1:13 remaining. Berg would finish the half shooting 5-for-5 from 3-point range.
After two clutch free throws from Carroll and a quick Barry layup, the Bucs were given one last chance to win the game or send it to overtime with eight seconds left. Ferrales took a wild 3-pointer and flailed his arms out looking for a foul, but Cahill secured the rebound and the team's first Sunshine State Conference home victory this season.
NSU won the game on its hot-shooting second half. After a slow start, the Sharks finished shooting 50.9 percent from the floor (28-for-55), 37.5 percent from 3-point range (9-for-24) and 70 percent (7-for-10) from the foul line. They also took great care of the ball, committing only six turnovers to Barry's 10.
"We played just about every defense known to man and probably invented one or two others during halftime," said Tuell. "But the guys were really locked in and focused and they transitioned from one to the next seamlessly. That is not an easy thing to do, but they handled it beautifully. We knew we were out-manned and felt our only chance was to keep Barry's guys off balance and uncomfortable as much as possible. Give their guys credit. They played beautifully, Williams and Ferrales and Barrueta were so tough. I voted Barry in the top three or four in the league's preseason poll and nothing they did tonight changed my opinion of them. It was a huge win for our guys. After the lack of effort and passion we displayed in our loss at Palm Beach Atlantic Saturday, we needed this one. Our guys were embarrassed Saturday. They showed a lot of character tonight."
Carroll and Fuller finished the game with 11 and eight points, respectively. Cahill notched six points, four assists and three rebounds. Jeangerard also earned four assists and scored 11 point on 5-for-10 shooting. Patchan provided solid interior defense off the bench, with a career-high four blocks.
NSU will stay at home for its next game against Rollins on Saturday at 4 p.m. The game will broadcast live on 640 Sports.
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