Box Score
KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern men's basketball team (13-16) advanced in the 2014 Sunshine State Conference Tournament with an overtime win over the Rollins Tars, 75-71, Wednesday at the Silver Spurs Arena. The Sharks will take on Eckerd at 5 p.m. Friday. The game will broadcast live on 640 Sports.
NSU was led by
Justin Jeangerard (Jr., Weaverville, Calif.) and
Chris Page (So., Plainfield, Ind.), who each scored a game-high 18 points. Jeangerard collected a personal-best 14 rebounds, three off the school record, while Page tallied eight boards and a team-best six assists. Page's rebound total is a new career-high.
"I can't say enough about Rollins' kids and their coaching staff," said head coach Gary Tuell. "They are a class act and I'm disappointed for them that their season ended tonight. On the other hand, I couldn't be more proud of our guys. We did everything we could to lose it in the last four minutes of regulation. But we had enough character and will to find a way to overcome our mistakes.
"We're trying so hard here to build this program the right way, and like it or not, you need a game like this in a postseason setting to learn the lessons that help you build this into something special. We lost our poise and we lost our confidence, but thanks to the character of our kids, we didn't lose the game. The lessons we'll learn from this, in the future, will only make our program stronger."
The game was a back-and-forth battle that featured 12 lead changes. NSU struck first, leading 12-5 within the first five minutes. Rollins swung back, scoring eight unanswered points to retake the lead. The teams would trade the lead over a half a dozen times before halftime, with neither leading by more than four points. The Sharks took a 31-28 lead at the break.
Rollins scored the first five points, but NSU would snatch back the lead and controlled a majority of the second half. Rollins fought throughout, but the game looked dire for the Tars when the Sharks went up, 58-48, with 4:03 left. With their season on the line, the Tars left everything they had on the court and tied the game at 63 all with 38 seconds left. The final 38 seconds of regulation were a cluster, with a combined three turnovers between the teams.
Despite relying on their 3-point shot in many games this year, NSU gutted the win out in overtime by driving to the basket and earning six trips to the foul line.
"A lot of people think we live and die by the 3, but we are probably one of the best straight-line driving teams in the league," stated Tuell. "A huge part of our success comes from five or six guys who can drive to the rim and either score or draw fouls."
NSU started the overtime period with a 3-point play in the paint from Page, and after Rollins took its only lead of the period at 67-66, Jeangerard took the lead back with a layup and a free throw. From there, the NSU defense held Rollins to four points while the Sharks scored their final seven points at the free throw line.
The Sharks shot 41 percent from the floor (23-for-56) and 38.5 percent (15-for-39) from 3-point range. NSU also took 20 free throw attempts, and drained 14 of them. As the Sharks did twice during the regular season, NSU outrebounded Rollins, 44-40.
Stian Berg (Jr., Baerum, Norway) had an efficient scoring night, with 16 points on 5-for-8 shooting. He also had five assists and two rebounds.
Brian Cahill (Jr., Arlington, Va.) had 10 points and six rebounds.
Maurice Fuller (Jr., Westfield, Ind.) had 13 points on 4-for-9 shooting.
"I know we made mistakes down the stretch because of mental and physical fatigue, but we also got great plays from every guy on the floor," stated Tuell. "Justin Jeangerard was amazing with those 14 rebounds against the tall front line of Rollins. He battled so hard in there and played the last 13 minutes with four fouls. Stian Berg hit huge shots for us in the second half. Maurice Fuller was a rock the whole game. Brian Cahill gutted it out, people have no idea how he's hurting, but he continues to perform. And Chris Page… He had me pulling my hair out one minute and jumping for joy the next. Those five guys plus
Casey Carroll (So., Youngstown, Ohio) should have their pictures hung in the hallways of the NSU Arena, and they should still be hanging there 100 years from now. Those are special kids and this is a special team. What a privilege for me to coach."
The win was the Sharks first postseason victory since 2009 and the fourth SSC Tournament victory for NSU. They'll look to win back-to-back SSC Tournament games for the first time in program history Friday against Eckerd at 5 p.m.
For the latest NSU news and results, be sure to visit
www.NSUSharks.com. To have results sent directly to your cell phone via text message, sign up for SMS text message delivery by
clicking here. For the latest news, be sure to sign up for the Shark Alert E-newsletter by
clicking here.
