FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The No. 10 Nova Southeastern University women's basketball team improved to 11-1, winning for the second straight day at the Shark Holiday Classic, 78-63 over Albany State on Sunday afternoon.
The Sharks had second- and third-quarter advantages of 24-8 and 24-15 and shot 53.2 percent in the game, including 8-of-16 from behind the 3-point line. In the third period alone, those respective percentages were 71.4 (10-of-14) and 60.0 (3-of-5), pushing the team ahead 65-40 heading into the final frame.
Taylor Buie (R-Jr., Puyallup, Wash.) was a perfect 4-of-4 from 3-point range and 6-of-8 overall, towards a game-high 17 points.
Ida Krogh (Sr., Aarhus, Denmark) was in double digits for the second straight game, totaling 13 Sunday along with three assists and two steals, while
Octavia Wilson (Jr., Nicholasville, Ky.) had her second consecutive NSU career best, finishing with 11, including a 2-of-3 line from behind the arc.
Kayla Wright (Jr., Lauderhill, Fla.) continued her recent hot stretch, making 5-of-7 shots to finish with 10 points.
The Sharks forced the Lady Rams into 28 turnovers, the most committed by an NSU opponent since Dec. 16, 2013. Similarly, NSU won points-off-turnovers 37-20, and their 18 steals were also the most in over a year (Nov. 21, 2014). Five different players came up with two steals, and
Alexis Murphy (Sr., Carlisle, Ohio) lead the way with four, the most in her four-year career.
"Our players did a great job this weekend staying mentally focused and disciplined while playing three games in four days," said head coach
LeAnn Freeland. "The coaching staff is excited to see the team making more defensive plays and applying more pressure on the defensive end, and on offense, we are working together and distributing well."
Other Sharks filling up the stat sheet included
Sarah Kelly (Fr., Huntington, W. Va.) with nine points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals;
Monaye Merritt (R-Sr., Philadelphia, Pa.), scoring seven points and dishing out five assists against zero turnovers; and
Megan Piggott (Fr., Ponte Vedra, Fla.), hitting two buckets in the final quarter to match her career high.
The team will break for the holidays and not return to game action until Saturday, Jan. 2, hosting Embry-Riddle at 2 p.m.
"Our players will enjoy some time away during the holiday break, and will be ready to return to conference play," said Freeland.
