Box Score
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The No. 4 Nova Southeastern women's basketball team overcame another large second-half deficit, for the second time in as many games, in defeating the No. 13 Rollins Tars on Saturday at the NSU Arena, 63-60.
After trailing Barry by six with 7:48 left on Wednesday and coming back to win, the Sharks (14-0, 5-0 SSC) fell even further behind to the Tars (14-3, 4-2 SSC). Rollins was up 34-29 at the half, and with 14:33 to go, had extended the lead to 47-37.
NSU stormed back with a 13-3 run to tie it at 50-50 at the 11:18 mark. Included in that stretch was a big old-fashioned three-point play on a blind, over-the-head layup by
Taylor Buie (So., Puyallup, Wash.), and the tie came on a slashing drive and bank shot by point guard
Jessica Russi (Sr., Lake Mary, Fla.).
Not to be outdone, Rollins scored the next eight and were back out ahead 58-50 (7:57). From there, the Sharks would go on an 11-2 run, and take the lead for good (a lead they hadn't had since the 6:32 mark of the first half) on Russi's two free throws with 3:07 left, 61-60.
Included in the 11-2 run, at the 5:52 mark, were two free throws by
Danielle Robinson (Jr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.). Those two points pushed her to exactly 1,000 in her career, making her the fifth in women's history to reach that plateau. Later, with three seconds left, Robinson put the icing on the cake with the next two points of the game, again coming from the line, for the final 63-60 margin. She was later honored, prior to the men's game, with a commemorative basketball for joining the 1,000-point club.
"Danielle is a great player on both ends," said head coach LeAnn Freeland. "She has worked extremely hard to be the player she is today. We really do have a special group of players. It was exciting to see her teammates being just as excited as she was during the ball presentation."
Buie led the victorious Sharks with 14 points. Though she failed to hit a 3-pointer on Saturday (and had hit at least two in every game this season), she made all six of her field goals at the rim, on just nine attempts.
Jasmine Wilkins (R-Jr., Miami) had a double-double with 13 points (on 5-of-8 shooting) and 11 rebounds, and Robinson had 10 points and eight rebounds.
Amanda Burakoski (Sr., Brooklyn, N.Y.) added nine points, five rebounds and three blocked shots.
Not showing up in the box score were key minutes provided by true freshman
Ashley Robinson (Jensen Beach, Fla.), who came in averaging 5.7 minutes in just seven of the Sharks' previous 13 games. She played in crunch time during the second-half comeback, totaling 10 minutes with three rebounds, two steals and an assist.
"It was quite a battle today," said Freeland. "Even when we got down, our players refused to throw in the towel. Down 10, I subbed Ashley into the game and she provided a huge spark to get us back in the game."
Rollins had four in double digits: Sarah Taylor (16), Sarah Blackburn (13), Emmalee Schill (12) and Tanaya Jones (11). Jones added six steals among the team's 14, and also had five assists.
Though the Tars outrebounded the Sharks 42-38 (including 17 on the offensive end) and forced 19 NSU turnovers, Rollins fell in large part because their last field goal came with 6:08 left. They missed their last six shots from the field, as well as two free throws, and had three turnovers, including one on their only offensive rebound during that stretch (with Blackburn coming down with her foot on the baseline with five seconds left).
The schedule gets no easier for NSU as they travel to Melbourne, Fla., this upcoming Wednesday (Jan. 22) to face the Florida Tech Panthers.
"We have been a little out of rhythm this week," said Freeland. "It is important all of us come to practice ready to work and get better on Monday and Tuesday before traveling to FIT on Wednesday."
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