Box Score
ST. LEO, Fla. – The No. 8 Nova Southeastern women's basketball team finished out the regular season strong, with a comeback victory over Saint Leo, 76-67 on Saturday on the Lions' Senior Day.
The Sharks (22-4, 12-4 SSC) had fallen in their last two, and three of the last four games, and trailed by seven to the Lions at the half (34-27) on Saturday. They were still down by that same margin with 16:51 to go (41-34) before beginning the charge back. Their only lead of the first half had been 10-8, and though they had tied it four times after the break, they were unable to go out in front again until the 5:36 mark when
Danielle Robinson (Jr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) scored on a driving layup with her right hand.
That was part of a 7-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer by
Molly Blomer (So., West Chester, Ohio) on the very next possession. Another 3-pointer 90 seconds later, by
Jessica Russi (Sr., Lake Mary, Fla.), pushed the team up seven, 66-59, with 3:30 to go (as part of a 12-3 run overall).
Quickly, Saint Leo scored six straight to cut the deficit to one with 2:10 remaining, the last three points coming on a layup and free throw by Chelsea Williams. The Sharks rebounded with an old-fashioned three-point play of their own, by
Jasmine Wilkins (R-Jr., Miami), which would key a 10-2 run for the remainder of the game and a nine-point victory. The Sharks went 6-of-7 from the line in the last 1:58, and overall were 20-of-24 in the game (83.3 percent)
From the field, NSU shot just 29 percent in the first half, but were 10 percentage points higher after the break (39.5, going 15-of-38). The squad was 7-of-18 from behind the arc in the second 20 minutes after going 1-of-8 prior. The defense forced 15 second-half turnovers and had an 18-5 advantage on points-off-turnovers in that time period.
Four Sharks were in double digits. Wilkins led all scorers with 16, and had a team-high nine rebounds. Robinson and
Taylor Buie (So., Puyallup, Wash.) each had 13 points, while Buie paced the Sharks with five assists against one turnover. Russi had 11 points, including a perfect 8-of-8 mark from the free throw line, along with five rebounds and three assists.
Amanda Burakoski (Sr., Brooklyn, N.Y.) and
Richelle Carach (Sr., Naples, Fla.) each had seven points, while
Alexis Murphy (So., Carlisle, Ohio), in her first career start, had a 3-pointer in each half for six points while adding five rebounds, three assists and just one turnover.
The Lions' leading scorers were Williams and Melissa Jackson, each with 12, the latter notching a new career high. Kinnara Lewis had 11, while Chelsea Connolly went for 10 points and 17 rebounds before fouling out with 1:58 left. That is the most rebounds the Sharks have had an opponent notch against them this season.
Since Rollins defeated Florida Southern in Saturday's late game, they and NSU finished with 12-4 conference marks. By virtue of the Tars having the tiebreaker, the Sharks will be the No. 3 seed in the 2014 SSC Championships, and will tip off at 7:30 this Thursday, March 6, against the No. 8 seed, Eckerd. The Sharks swept the season series against the Tritons, winning 69-50 in St. Petersburg and 84-48 in Fort Lauderdale.
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clicking here. For the latest news, be sure to sign up for the Shark Alert E-newsletter by
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