Box Score
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The NSU men's basketball team (8-11, 5-3 SSC) continued to gain momentum in league play, taking down the Saint Leo Lions (16-5, 4-4 SSC), 89-63, at home Wednesday.
"We beat a very good Saint Leo team that has been playing well," stated head coach
Gary Tuell. "Obviously our 3-point shooting has been other worldly the past few games, but that's who we are. We were able to knock down some 3's early in the game and open a nice lead. We knew they would come back. They have too many good players and are too well-coached to allow us to run away with it. But I loved how our guys finished the game. We were tired. We have some guys who are beat up and can't practice much. But we finished the game like champs and we sank some 3's down the stretch to close it out."
Casey Carroll (So., Youngstown, Ohio) had a career-best night and led the Sharks with 22 points and seven rebounds. He shot 7-for-9 from the floor and 6-for-6 from 3-point range, becoming the first Shark to go perfect from downtown with at least five 3-point attempts.
Chris Page (So., Plainfield, Ind.) scored 19 points on 5-for-9 shooting and added four rebounds and blocks apiece.
Brian Cahill (Jr., Arlington, Va.) was the Sharks' leading playmaker with eight assists to go along with 11 points. He had four steals, making him the seventh NSU player in history to earn 100 steals in a career.
"Casey Carroll turned in an exceptional performance," said Tuell. "He really carried us at both ends of the floor. But our usual six guys all made big contributions. They fought hard on the boards and they battled for the 50-50 balls. They also turned in an exceptional defensive effort against Jerrel Harris. For all the 3's we made, nothing we did as a team was more important than the team effort our guys made to cover Harris."
The Lions entered the game with a vote in the latest national poll, but looked in over their leads in the 'Shark Tank' early. NSU went up 14-5 just four minutes into the game and would take its first double-digit lead on a
Maurice Fuller (Jr., Westfield, Ind.) 3-pointer one minute later. Ron Foxx of Saint Leo made two free throws with 13:52 left in the first half to bring his team within eight, but NSU ripped off 13 unanswered points over a four-minute stretch.
The Sharks would lead by as much as 22 points in the first half, but Saint Leo took back some momentum before the break. The Lions ended the half on an 11-5 run to give NSU a 44-30 lead at intermission. The visitors outrebounded NSU and worked their way to the line in the first half, but could not stop a Sharks offense hitting its stride. NSU shot 15-for-30 from the floor in the first half and 9-for-15 from 3-point range. Page and Carroll each had 12 first-half points.
Saint Leo made key adjustments at the start of the second half and nearly climbed back into the game. Saint Leo outscored the Sharks, 17-11, at the start of the second half to cut the deficit to eight points. The Sharks answered back with a 7-1 run, aided by two driving layups from
Justin Jeangerard (Jr., Weaverville, Calif.) and a 3-pointer by Carroll. NSU would carry a double-digit lead from that point on.
A Jeangerard 3-pointer with 2:36 left put the Sharks up 83-61 and forced Saint Leo to empty its bench. NSU finished the game on a 6-2 run to take its largest lead of the game just before the buzzer.
Overall, NSU shot 53 percent (28-for-53) from the floor and 57 percent (17-for-30) from 3-point range. Over the Sharks' last three games they are averaging 18 3-pointers per game, a mark higher than the program's single-game record prior to 2014.
"I hope we can keep this going for a little while longer," stated Tuell. "It's fun. The guys are having a great time playing together and they're getting better and better every day. Sooner or later the 3 isn't going to fall. When that happens we'll have to find other ways to win. But I love these guys. I believe in them and we all believe in each other. We will just keep grinding and enjoy the moment. This has been a special run. We can get a lot better defensively. That will be our focus point the next four weeks. I guess our guys are opening a few eyes. We are not your typical 8-11 team."
Fuller ended the game with eight points and four boards while Jeangerard scored 15 points and collected eight rebounds.
Stian Berg (Jr., Baerum, Norway) tallied six points, four assists and three rebounds.
The victory puts NSU in a tie with Barry for second place in the Sunshine State Conference halfway through league play. The Sharks will return to the road to take on No. 2 Florida Southern Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
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