Box Score
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern men's basketball team (9-12, 6-4 SSC) had a solid return home, defeating the Eckerd Tritons (12-9, 4-5 SSC), 94-90, Wednesday in the NSU Arena.
"I love this team's resiliency," said Gary Tuell. "I love their togetherness and their hearts. Their feelings were hurt Saturday at Florida Southern but you can't keep this group down for long. They bounce back better than any team I've ever coached. It was a strange game. We started out playing really well and opening a nice little lead, but then the fouls began piling up. I don't know how you play a soft zone for 40 minutes and get whistled for 27 fouls, but I guess we did. I 'dunno'. Those guys have a tough job. But 54 total fouls and 77 free throw attempts is hard to sit through. At times it was a pretty game. At other times it was a 10 car pileup on I-95."
Justin Jeangerard (Jr., Weaverville, Calif.) scored a career-high 22 points on 5-for-7 shooting, all from 3-point range. He also had six rebounds and three assists.
Chris Page (So., Plainfield, Ind.) filled into the facilitator role and had a team-best eight assists to go with 11 points and three rebounds.
Casey Carroll (So., Youngstown, Ohio) had 16 points and led the team with eight rebounds.
The game was as physical as any the Sharks have played in this season, with a combined 54 fouls called and split evenly. Each team would end the game with two players fouled out and others on the verge of ending their night early. However, NSU shot 33-for-43 from the foul line to earn the win. The mark was five free throws made less than the program record. The game fit into the common theme of NSU-Eckerd matchups, which have tended to be chippy, physical contests. NSU has taken at least 27 free throw attempts in nine of the last 14 games between the two teams.
"There was a time when I thought we might finish the game with only four guys on the floor," said Tuell. "Brian (Cahill) can't play.
Stian Berg (Jr., Baerum, Norway) fouled out.
Maurice Fuller (Jr., Westfield, Ind.) fouled out. Justin Jeangerard and Casey Carroll played most if the second half with four fouls. But we found a way to keep making shots and getting to the line. We battled and we fought hard against a very good Eckerd team."
Cahill sat out of the game due to nagging injuries, a huge blow to a team that depends on him as the team's starting center and lead playmaker. However, the Sharks filled in the gaps with ease. Page took over the playmaking role and several players played extended minutes through foul trouble. NSU's bench gave one of its best efforts of the season, giving the Sharks 20 points on 71 percent shooting.
"Justin, Stian, Casey, Maurice and Chris Page were so tough," stated Tuell. "Chris had to handle the point guard duties for Stian and Brian the last seven minutes and overall he was terrific. Casey made some huge plays for us and Maurice carried us early with some clutch threes. They all shot the ball well, but then, we usually do.
"Eckerd kept coming. They wouldn't go away. Eckerd teams never do. Alex Bodney, Ryan Snodgrass and Jerrick Stevenson were really good. I'm going to miss Bodney. He has been a great competitor, leader and quality player in this league for four years."
The first half was not as rough as the second, but both teams earned double-digit free throw attempts. Page looked to get his teammates involved early and it paid off. He assisted on four of the team's first five field goals, which helped the Sharks go up, 16-6, just five minutes into the contest. NSU remained in control for the majority of the half, taking its largest lead with seven minutes remaining in the half at 27-13.
Eckerd ended the first half strong, outscoring the Sharks, 20-12, over the final seven minutes. NSU relied heavily on the 3-pointer to stay ahead of Eckerd before the break, with nine of its 10 first-half field goals coming from beyond the arc. Page had six of his eight assists before halftime, when the Sharks led, 39-33.
Eckerd came out strong in the second half, cutting its deficit to one point at 46-45 with 16:49 remaining. NSU did not give up its lead, making three straight 3-pointers to bring the lead back to eight points. The Sharks never trailed in the second half, but had their lead threatened again late. With 2:19 remaining, Alex Bodney made four straight free throws on back-to-back possessions to put Eckerd within three points of NSU. The Sharks rallied once again, doubling the lead with a step-back 3-pointer from Jeangerard. On the other end,
Brandon Patchan (Fr., Tampa, Fla.) blocked Malcolm Brunner's layup and allowed his team to get the crucial defensive rebound.
"Justin's three pointer with just under two to play gave us a six point lead and served as an adrenaline boost for our players," said Tuell. "That was the biggest shot of the night. After that we did a good job taking care of the ball and making free throws."
NSU would seal the game at the free throw line over the final minute, making 10 free throws down the stretch. The Sharks led by seven points with two seconds left, but were called for a foul on a 3-point attempt. Eckerd's Matt Beneduci made all three free throws to make the score more respectable for the road team.
The Sharks gutted out a win despite the ugly numbers in the end. NSU more than doubled Eckerd's turnover count, with the Tritons winning the battle, 7-17. NSU also allowed 19 Eckerd offensive rebounds out of 46 opportunities. However, it was all washed away by the Sharks' efficient offense. The Sharks shot 54 percent from the floor (23-for-42) and 52 percent from 3-point range (15-for-29). The mark came together to put NSU's "Effective Field Goal Percentage" ((FG + 0.5 * 3P) / FGA) at a whopping 71 percent. Eckerd would go down despite taking 28 more field goal attempts than NSU.
Patchan scored a career-high 13 points, nine which of came at the foul line. Berg scored 16 points on 4-for-5 shooting, while Fuller scored nine points.
Ryan Steed (So., Miami) and
Cameron Denney (Fr., Norwell, Ind.) came off the bench and combined for seven points and four rebounds.
"We had a lot of heroes in this game. How about Brandon Patchan? The young fellow came in and gave us 13 points and six rebounds and played very well on the defensive end, including a couple of blocked shots. Or what about Ryan Steed coming off the bench to knock down two big shots? He gave us 12 minutes of pretty good defense and no turnovers, scored five points and grabbed a couple of rebounds. We missed Brian Cahill but those young guys really embraced their opportunity to help the team. We could not have won this game without them."
NSU will play its final out-of-conference game against Palm Beach Atlantic at home Saturday at 4 p.m.
"What a great team win this was for our young guys," said Tuell. "I'm awfully proud of this team. I don't know that many people can truly appreciate what these guys have been able to do so far this year. I know they don't have the respect or appreciation that they deserve for the way they have battled against a killer schedule. But their coaches appreciate them. They know how much we believe in them and love them. We're having some fun. I wish this season would never end."
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