Box Score FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern University men's basketball team (3-2) finished the 2014 NSU Thanksgiving Classic 2-0 after Saturday's win over the Seton Hill Griffins (1-4), 85-55, at the NSU Arena in the Don Taft University Center.
Chris Page (Jr., Plainfield, Ind.) led the Sharks with 25 points on 10-for-16 and a team-best six assists. He shot 4-for-8 from 3-point range and also brought down four rebounds.
Justin Jeangerard (Sr., Weaverville, Calif.) was the team's leading rebounder for the second night in a row, with eight boards to go with four points. Outside of Page, NSU had a balanced attack and had eight players score at least six points.
The first half started out as the Page show, with the junior scoring the Sharks' first nine points. With the Sharks up, 10-5,
Stian Berg (Sr., Baerum, Norway) and Page combined for three straight treys to give NSU a 19-11 lead. The Griffins answered with a 3-pointer of their own, but NSU would push their lead to 31-18 with just over five minutes left in the first half. The Sharks entered the locker room at halftime up by that same difference, 36-23.
NSU's halftime difference was in large part due to its defense, which held Seton Hill to 9-for-24 shooting. NSU shot 14-for-32 from the floor, with 18 3-point attempts. Page held 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting at the break, but would only play nine minutes in a second half controlled by NSU.
The NSU lead was widened quickly in the second half, as the Sharks began the period on a 10-2 run. After a fast break layup from Seton Hill, NSU scored another eight unanswered points to bring the score to 54-27. NSU was able to shuffle its lineup from there and put the game in cruise control. NSU stretched its lead to as much as 33 points at 77-44 with 2:59 remaining and ended the game with a 30-point advantage.
NSU built its initial lead with a strong defensive effort, but sped away from the competition in the second half with efficient scoring. NSU shot 57 percent in the last period and finished the game shooting 50 percent (31-for-62) from the floor and 40.5 percent (15-for-37) from 3-point range. Seton Hill finished the night shooting 41.7 percent (20-for-48). NSU also dominated the glass, outrebounding the Griffins, 39-25, with 12 offensive boards.
Troy Spears (Fr., Martinsville, Ind.) was the team's second leading scorer at 11 points on 3-for-7 shooting. Berg and
Harrison Goodrick (So., Sydney, Australia) each scored eight points on a combined 6-for-10 shooting night. Goodrick recorded six rebounds while Berg tallied four assists.
Jordan Stookey (Fr., Warsaw, Ind.),
Ryan Steed (Jr., Miami, Fla.),
Nick Rosa (Fr., Coral Springs, Fla.) and
Maurice Fuller (Sr., Westfield, Ind.) each contributed six points.
NSU will return to the Shark Tank on Saturday, Dec. 6 to begin Sunshine State Conference play against Tampa at 4 p.m. The game will broadcast live on 640 Sports.
