Box Score
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The No. 4 Nova Southeastern women's basketball team held off Sunshine State Conference border rival Barry on Wednesday night at the NSU Arena, winning 78-76 to move to 13-0 on the season.
Barry (8-5, 1-3 SSC) led throughout most of the second half and was ahead 61-55 with 7:48 left. The Sharks (13-0, 4-0 SSC), and more specifically
Jasmine Wilkins (R-Jr., Miami), regained the lead on a 10-2 run, the first eight coming from Wilkins to tie it up. On the next Bucs' possession, her steal and outlet pass to
Amanda Burakoski (Sr., Brooklyn, N.Y.) for a breakaway layup gave the Sharks a 65-63 lead they wouldn't relinquish, with 5:29 left.
Not that that final amount of time wasn't without drama. The Sharks went up seven on three occasions, the last coming with 1:06 left, 76-69. Barry scored the next five to cut it to two, 76-74, with 12 seconds remaining. Burakoski made 1-of-2 free throws to make it a three-point game, and out of a timeout,
Danielle Robinson (Jr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) committed a foul to put Ines Kerin of Barry on the line with seven seconds left.
Kerin made them both, shrinking the margin to one, 77-76. Barry fouled
Richelle Carach (Sr., Naples, Fla.), who made the first but missed the second free throw, and though Tyler Hardy of Barry got the rebound, she was unable to get a shot off before the final horn sounded as the Sharks won by two.
"It was a battle for 40 minutes and could have gone either way," said head coach LeAnn Freeland. "We must give Barry credit for executing their game plan."
Wilkins had 15 of her 20 points in the second half to lead the squad (and was 7-of-9 from the line in those final 20 minutes), while point guard
Jessica Russi (Sr., Lake Mary, Fla.) was very aggressive on the offensive end, putting in 12 of her season-high 18 after the break. She was 6-of-10 from the field and 5-of-6 from the line, while adding seven rebounds and seven assists.
Carach was the third Shark in double digits with 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting from the field.
Taylor Buie (So., Puyallup, Wash.) had nine points, Robinson eight and Burakoski seven.
Barry was led by Kaylia Richardson with 20 points. Hardy added 19 and nine rebounds, while Colette Eule had 18 points and seven boards.
The Sharks were able to win the rebounding battle, 32-30, despite being outrebounded in the first half, 17-11. Wilkins led the way with nine rebounds, followed by Russi's seven and Carach with six.
NSU will face their fourth ranked opponent of the season this upcoming Saturday, hosting another SSC foe in No. 13 Rollins, 14-2 after a 68-55 win over Lynn on Wednesday. The Sharks and Tars tip off at 2 p.m. from the NSU Arena.
"Moving forward, we must show discipline and focus daily so we can stay sharp come game time," said Freeland. "I am happy we won, but I think we needed to get our collective edge back."
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