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NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – On the strength of their four-game winning streak, the last two coming against teams ranked ahead of them, the No. 25 Nova Southeastern women's basketball team climbed two spots to second in the latest NCAA South Region Rankings, and will now head to St. Leo to take on the Lions Saturday afternoon in the team's regular season finale.

In addition, the Sharks (20-5, 12-3 SSC) reentered the USA Today Coaches' Poll in that No. 25 slot this week, while maintaining first place in the Sunshine State Conference standings. The team has clinched at least a share of the SSC regular season title with one game left. With either a win over Saint Leo OR a Rollins loss to Florida Southern, the Sharks will be crowned outright SSC Champions. A Shark loss and Rollins win means the two teams tie for the regular season title, with NSU still earning the postseason No. 1 seed based on tiebreakers.

The game against Saint Leo (9-16, 4-11 SSC) tips off at 2 p.m. Saturday. Just as the Sharks' result doesn't affect their seeding, the Lions too are set and will be next week's No. 8 seed. Therefore, the opening game of the quarterfinal round will be NSU against Saint Leo again, just five days following the finale. The two teams will tip off again this upcoming Thursday, March 5, at noon at the Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Florida.

Earlier this year, NSU finished the matchup with the Lions in Fort Lauderdale on a 19-9 run and won 69-55. Danielle Robinson (Sr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) had 18 points to lead the Sharks, while Jasmine Wilkins (R-Sr., Miami) and Kayla Wright (So., Lauderhill, Fla.) each had 12 points. Jessica Valley (R-Jr., Lafayette, Ind.) had her second straight double-double with 10 points and a game-best 11 rebounds, along with a team-high six assists.
 
Since the initial South Region rankings on Feb. 18, when the Sharks were slotted fourth, they have beaten both No. 3 Rollins and Florida Tech, who were No. 2 at that time. Union, from the Gulf South Conference, has been first both weeks and currently has a 23-3 overall record. The No. 16 Bulldogs finished up their regular season and next will partake in the GSC Championships.

Behind Union and the Sharks is 19-6 Florida Tech, down one slot, with another SSC school fourth in Eckerd, 21-6, up three spots from last week. West Florida of the GSC (18-7) is fifth, followed by the first Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association representative, Kentucky State (21-4). Rollins, now 20-5, dropped to seventh, followed by the SIAC's Benedict (21-5), Delta State (16-9) from the GSC, and the fifth SSC team, Tampa, 10th at 15-10.
 
The South Region top seed will be determined on Sunday, March 8, via live NCAA webcast. Check back here on NSUSharks.com and @NSUSharks on Twitter for more information about that announcement, closer to time.