NSU LIVE AUDIO | FIT VIDEO AND LIVE STATS | GAME NOTESFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern University women's basketball team looks for their second straight victory over a ranked in-conference opponent, taking on No. 20 Florida Tech Saturday afternoon in Melbourne at 2 p.m.
In addition, with a win, the Sharks (19-5, 11-3 SSC) would stay atop the Sunshine State standings, after rising to that spot with their 65-57 victory Wednesday over the previous leader, No. 17 Rollins. It would also mean a season sweep of Florida Tech (19-4, 9-4 SSC) following NSU's home win on Jan. 24, 73-52, when the Panthers were No. 9 in the country.
FIT fell to Barry on Wednesday to drop a game and a half behind NSU, in third place on the conference ledger. The loss to the Sharks in late January was the second in a row following a 15-0 start to the season. Over their last eight games, the Panthers are 4-4.
Kayk Wilson continues to pace the conference in scoring, at an even 20 points per contest. That mark is 22nd in the nation, and her 2.9 made 3-pointers a game is first and 21st. Jasmire Brown and Shequana Harris combine to average nearly 25 points at 13.3 and 11.3.
Jasmine Wilkins (R-Sr., Miami) led the Sharks in scoring for the third straight game (and 11th time this season), celebrating Senior Night Wednesday with 21 points. She is at a team-high 14.2 per, fourth in the conference, and her shooting clip of 63.1 percent is still first conference-wide and third nationally.
Fellow senior
Danielle Robinson (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) had 12 and is second on the team in points per game at 13.2.
Kayla Wright (So., Lauderhill, Fla.) averages 11.6,
Monaye Merritt (R-Jr., Philadelphia) 9.7,
Jessica Valley (R-Jr., Lafayette, Ind.) 8.4 and
Alexis Murphy (Jr., Carlisle, Ohio) 7.6.
In the previous meeting, Wilkins had 17 and seven rebounds, Valley 14 and 10 boards, Robinson 14 and seven rebounds and Wright 13 and six boards. All told, NSU outrebounded the Panthers 47-40 (the Sharks' season high) and won points-in-the-paint 42-14.
The Sharks were over 50 percent in each half (54.2 and 51.7 percent) for 52.8 percent total, and held the league's best offense to 25.7 percent shooting (19-of-74), still the lowest by an NSU opponent this year. The Panthers were nearly 30 points below their season average (81.5 to their 52 that day).
FIT also came into that game as the conference leaders in 3-pointers made (7.9) and percentage (37.5), but only went 4-of-22 from behind the arc (18.2 percent). The Sharks held Wilson to 1-of-8 shooting from behind the arc and 3-of-14 shooting overall for just 10 points.
Again, with a win over the Panthers, the Sharks would keep their hold on first place in the SSC with just one game left. Rollins is a half-game back in the win column but has the same amount of conference losses at 10-3. No matter what the Tars do in their last three games, if the Sharks win out, they will earn at least a share of the conference title.
