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Game Notes
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The No. 8 Nova Southeastern women's basketball team looks to end the regular season on a high note, facing a tough Saint Leo squad on the road Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.
The Sharks (21-4, 11-4 SSC) enter into Saturday's finale on a recent slide, falling in three of their last four games. They are tied with Rollins for second place in the conference, but the Tars hold the tiebreaker for next week's SSC Championships by virtue of splitting the season series with the top seed, Tampa.
The only scenario in which the Sharks can secure the No. 2 seed is with a win over Saint Leo, and a loss by Rollins on Saturday to Florida Southern. Whether they are second or third seed, the next game for NSU will take place on Thursday, March 6 from the Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Fla. On that day, No. 2 and No. 9 play at 2:30 p.m., while No. 3 and No. 8 meet up at 7:30.
Meanwhile, Saint Leo (18-7, 9-6 SSC) has clinched the fourth seed, no matter the outcome of Saturday's game. This has been the best season in women's history, having already set school records for overall wins in a season and well as victories in-conference. The Lions will have their first matchup at the Championships on March 5 at 2:30 against the seventh seed.
Prior to the Sharks' Wednesday loss to Florida Tech, the second NCAA region rankings were released. In the South Region, Tampa had moved to No. 1, followed by NSU and then Rollins. Saint Leo is on the bubble for a selection, slotting seventh. After the top three, it's Delta State, Albany State, West Florida and then the Lions, with the bottom three made up of Alabama-Huntsville, Barry and Benedict.
The first time these teams met, on Jan. 29, Saint Leo had already clinched a winning season, their second in the program's 37 years. NSU won the game, 85-76, starting a stretch in which the Lions have gone 4-4, both overall and in conference play. They have won their last three, topping Florida Southern and Eckerd on the road, sandwiched around a home win over Lynn.
There will be pregame ceremonies on Saturday afternoon as it is the Lions' Senior Day, which will include honoring four of their five leading scorers: Teresa Manigrasso (third in the SSC at 16.5 points a game), Chelsea Williams (fifth at 15.1), Chelsea Connelly (9.0), Keishara Green (8.1) and Erin Higgins (4.6).
In addition, these five, along with sophomore point guard Chachi Guzman, have their names appear on many other stat categories conference-wide. In addition to points, Manigrasso is also second in free throw percentage (.845), seventh in 3-point percentage (37.9) and 10th in assists (3.0). Williams is fourth in field goal percentage (59.6) and in blocked shots (0.9), and is 14th in rebounding (6.3). Connelly is third in total rebounding (8.4) and first in defensive boards (6.8), while Green is fifth in overall rebounds (7.4) and fifth as well in field goal percentage (.555). Higgins is the team's best 3-point shooter, percentage-wise (.393, sixth in the league), and Guzman is second in assists (5.6), fourth in free throw percentage (.829) and fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.8).
As a team, the Lions are second in the conference in scoring (75.3, only behind NSU's 81.8) and in rebounding (44.2), while slotting first in rebounding margin (+7.2). They are ninth in scoring defense (68.3), but have outscored their opponents by an average of seven points a game, fourth-best in the league.
Tipoff from the Bowman Center will take place at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Saint Leo will offer video
here and live stats
here, while you can tune in for NSU audio
here.
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