Box Score
NSU Audio | SSC Video | Live Stats
KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The No. 10 Nova Southeastern women's basketball team advanced to the Sunshine State Conference championship game, outlasting the No. 16 Rollins Tars Saturday night at the Silver Spurs Arena, 80-70.
The Sharks (24-4), who were up 11 with 8:00 left at 61-50, saw their lead shrink to two, 69-67 with 1:46 left. Rollins (24-6) had a chance to tie or take the lead, but after a missed shot and a rebound by
Amanda Burakoski (Sr., Brooklyn, N.Y.), she passed ahead to
Taylor Buie (So., Puyallup, Wash.) who buried her sixth 3-pointer of the night in transition to push NSU out by five.
That basket began what was an 11-3 run to end the game and allow the Sharks to move on. Burakoski would hit 6-of-6 free throws in the final 39 seconds as part of her 12-point night, and she added a new career best of 14 rebounds. Buie's 26 points is also a new career standard, and it came on 9-of-13 shooting along with going 6-of-9 from behind the arc.
The Sharks move on to play No. 1-seeded Tampa in Sunday's title game, looking to knock off the No. 17 Spartans after falling to them twice in the regular season. Tipoff from Kissimmee will be at 3:30 p.m.
Rollins led by as many as eight in the first half and were up seven, 23-16, at the 9:11 mark. The Sharks would take their first lead since 2-0 with a 13-4 run, going up 29-27 with 3:28 left. A Buie 3-pointer made it 32-27 at 2:42, but the Tars' Jacquar Westbrooks answered with a '3' of her own to cut it to two on the next possession. That 32-30 score held until the half as neither team dented the scoreboard for the final 1:58.
The Tars scored the first five of the second half to regain the lead with 19:16 left, and hold the advantage until 15:28, up 41-39 at that point. The Sharks scored 10 of the next 12 to go ahead 49-43 (12:14). The lead was cut to three, 51-48 at 10:48, but seven straight – on back-to-back 3's by Buie and
Molly Blomer (So., West Chester, Ohio), plus a
Danielle Robinson (Jr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) free throw – made for the first double-digit lead of the game (58-48, 8:51).
Just 51 seconds later, Robinson's second 3-pointer of the half pushed out to that 11-point lead before Rollins came back to draw within a possession before the Buie transition '3.' The six free throws by Burakoski were a part of a 15-of-19 shooting night from the stripe for the team, which also included 13 made 3-pointers.
Buie and Burakoski were joined in double digits in scoring by Robinson's 13, and
Jasmine Wilkins (R-Jr., Miami) with 10. Burakoski's 14 boards led the team to a 43-41 rebounding advantage. Blomer and
Ashley Robinson (Fr., Jensen Beach, Fla.), in her first career start, each chipped in with five.
Jessica Russi (Sr., Lake Mary, Fla.) had a game-high six assists, while Burakoski added four.
Rollins was paced by Sarah Blackburn with 18 points and Sarah Taylor with 16, and both Tars were in double digits in the second half alone with 11 and 15, respectively.
Again, tipoff on Sunday with be at 3:30 between the No. 3-seeded Sharks and No. 1 Tampa. NSU will provide live audio coverage
HERE, while the SSC will have their broadcast available
HERE. You can follow along with live stats after the game tips
HERE.
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