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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The No. 4 Nova Southeastern University women's basketball team tips off their 2014-15 season this weekend on back-to-back days at two different locations, including Homecoming at the NSU Arena on Friday night at 7 p.m.
The Sharks and Barry will jointly host visiting squads Alabama-Huntsville and Shorter. The first matchups will take place Friday in Fort Lauderdale, with two more games Saturday against those teams in Miami Shores.
Friday's women's games will sandwich around the NSU men's opener. Barry and Shorter will begin the slate, at 2 p.m. The NSU men will host Johnson at 4:30 in the first Homecoming contest, followed by the NSU women and Alabama-Huntsville in the nightcap on the Sharks' home floor.
(For information on Friday night's Homecoming knockout contest, click HERE.) On Saturday, Barry will host things and play in the day's opener, against UAH at 4 p.m. NSU will be next, squaring off against Shorter at 6.
The No. 4 Sharks, voted as such in the preseason USA Today Coaches' poll, look to build on last year's run to the National Semifinal round and add another South Region Championship after bringing home the last two. Six letterwinners return, along with two redshirts who were with the team throughout their postseason run of a year ago. Five newcomers will complete the roster for this upcoming year.
NSU has won three of their last four season openers, all at home. Last year, they defeated then-No. 22 Washburn, 90-87, and followed that up with a win the next day over No. 7 Stonehill, 96-77. That started a run of 15 straight wins, new school records for consecutive victories to start a year and consecutive victories overall.
ALABAMA-HUNTSVILLE UAH finished last year with a 15-12 mark, and have prior experience at the NSU Arena. The year before, not only did they play the Sharks in the regular season, but they also advanced to the NSU-hosted NCAA South Regionals as Gulf South Conference champions. The NSU-UAH matchup went in favor of the Sharks on Nov. 18, 2012, 85-46 (in the only matchup ever between the two schools). The Chargers had better luck at the regionals, defeating Tuskegee (78-69) before falling to Delta State (81-58).
SHORTER Like UAH, Shorter is also part of the Gulf South Conference. The Hawks just completed provisional membership to become a full-fledged member of DII and the GSC. Since moving to DII, they have gone 18-13 and, last season, 6-20. Head coach Vic Mitchell is one win away from 400, having gone 399-330 entering his 25th season atop the program. This will be the first-ever meeting between the Hawks and the Sharks.
