CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The No. 4 Nova Southeastern University women's basketball team lost in their only open exhibition of the preseason, 83-53 to the University of Miami on Wednesday night at the BankUnited Center.
After a first half that saw Miami shoot nearly 50 percent and the Sharks trail by 18, NSU turned it on in the third quarter, making their first five 3-pointers and outscoring the Hurricanes, 23-21.
Alexis Murphy (Sr., Carlisle, Ohio) hit two from long range in that frame and was 4-of-6 from behind the arc in the contest for a team-high 12 points.
"It is always a great experience to play Miami," said head coach
LeAnn Freeland. "They have great size, strength and speed, so it is a difficult matchup for 40 minutes. The good thing is, we were able to accomplish several of our game goals and played them very well during the second and third quarters."
The squad's other four-year senior,
Molly Blomer (West Chester, Ohio), had eight of her 11 points in the first two quarters, and made three 3-pointers overall.
Katie Barnard (R-So., Granger, Ind.) and
Taylor Buie (R-Jr., Puyallup, Wash.) chipped in with eight points apiece, totaling 12 between them in the second half. Barnard made all three of her field goal attempts, while Buie scored six straight Shark points in a span of 59 seconds in the fourth quarter.
Rounding out NSU's scoring were
Monaye Merritt (R-Sr., Philadelphia) and
Sarah Kelly (Fr., Huntington, W. Va.) with five each, and
Ida Krogh (Sr., Aarhus, Denmark), who had four. Krogh paced the squad with seven rebounds, while Merritt had five, and Merritt tied for the game high on either side with four assists.
"Our players worked very hard all game," said Freeland. "We had to dig deep and trust one another to get defensive stops together." Miami had five in double digits, led by Michelle Woods with 14. She also had a game-high eight rebounds, and tied Merritt with four assists.
Next for the Sharks is season-opening weekend at the NSU Tipoff Classic. The first game is scheduled for a noon tip on Friday, Nov. 13 against North Alabama.
