FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The No. 8 Nova Southeastern University women's basketball team shared and distributed liberally, assisting on nearly 80 percent of their made baskets, as they posted a 14-point win Wednesday night over Palm Beach Atlantic, 80-66.
 
Eight Sharks (7-1) scored between six and 12 points, and the team handed out assists on 24 of their 31 field goals (an astonishing 15 of 16 in the first half), led by Monaye Merritt's (R-Sr., Philadelphia, Pa.) career-best 11. That was the most assists in a game since by an NSU women's player since March of 2014. The winners shot 53 percent from the field, over 50 percent in each half, and made 11 total 3-pointers on the night.
 
PBA (1-6) took their last lead at 13-12 with 3:08 to go in the first quarter, as NSU scored the last eight of the frame for a seven-point lead, immediately preceding an 18-4 run to open the second. Their lead was double digits the remainder of the ballgame, save for a seven-second blip in the fourth. A PBA old-fashioned three-point play cut the Shark lead to nine, 65-56 at 6:50, but the very next possession saw Kayla Wright (Jr., Lauderhill, Fla.) return the favor, which began a 9-2 NSU run that ultimately put the game away.
 
"We worked together well tonight, on both ends," said head coach LeAnn Freeland. "Aside from a few defensive breakdowns and missed blockouts, we were happy with our overall defensive effort."
 
The parity in points was led by Alexis Murphy (Sr., Carlisle, Ohio) for the second straight game, with 13 on Wednesday, including three successful 3-pointers. Right behind her was Taylor Buie (R-Jr., Puyallup, Wash.) with 12 along with three assists, while next up for the squad with 11 each were Sarah Kelly (Fr., Huntington, W. Va.), who put in three 3's as well to notch a new career high in both categories, and Wright, who also had a team-best seven rebounds.
 
The Shark ledger continued with Ida Krogh (Sr., Aarhus, Denmark), who had seven points and three assists; followed by a trio of Sharks all posting six-point nights: Molly Blomer (Sr., West Chester, Ohio), Merritt and Winter Rodriguez (Jr., Miami). Blomer corralled six rebounds while Merritt had five, with the latter also rejecting three Sailfish shot attempts. Neither Merritt nor Rodriguez missed a shot in the contest.
 
PBA's Nkiru Anyagaligbo took game-high scoring honors with 16, while Nina Krstic had 13, but was suffocated into 15 shot attempts. The Sharks held PBA to 37 percent shooting, including 10 missed 3-pointers, and forced 13 Sailfish turnovers.
 
"PBA is a difficult team to defend because they created one-on-one isolations," said Freeland. "Offensively, we were patient, distributed the ball well, and had many scoring threats."
 
The Sharks return to Sunshine State Conference play this Saturday afternoon, hosting Rollins at the NSU Arena at 2 p.m.