Box Score FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – It took an extra five minutes, but the No. 24 Nova Southeastern University women's basketball team moved to 8-2 in Sunshine State play with their fifth straight conference win, defeating Eckerd on Wednesday night in overtime from the NSU Arena, 69-66.
The Sharks (16-4, 8-2 SSC) led the Tritons by 19 points in the first half, 31-12, at the 4:16 mark. At that point, they had scored 11 straight points, and held Eckerd (15-6, 5-5 SSC) scoreless for 7:55 of clock time. However, for the final 3:02 of the first, the Tritons outscored the Sharks 8-2 to make it a 33-20 game at the half.
It didn't stop there, as the visitors scored the first nine points after the break, and made it a 20-6 run in the half (and 28-8 overall) to gain their first lead, 40-39 with 13:14 to go. The largest lead for the remainder of regulation was four points, and the it was a one-possession game either way for the final 10:30.
With under three minutes to go, twice the Sharks had a three-point edge, and both times, Eckerd answered. Two
Jessica Valley (R-Jr., Lafayette, Ind.) free throws made it 55-52 at 2:58, but Rana Thomas hit an immediate 3-pointer to tie. Then, after
Alexis Murphy's (Jr., Carlisle, Ohio) '3' hit the bottom of the net at 2:19, Kayla Bowlin made good on a rare four-point play to give Eckerd a 59-58 lead at 2:03.
Both teams held the other off the scoreboard on the next four possessions, until the Sharks'
Kayla Wright (So., Lauderhill, Fla.) was fouled with 30.5 seconds left. She made the second of two free throws to tie the game at 59-59, and Thomas' 3-point attempt in waning seconds didn't fall for the win.
Monaye Merritt (R-Jr., Philadelphia) tracked down the board, and though her shot fell, she was called for an offensive foul on the drive to send the game into overtime.
In the extra frame, the teams traded baskets before Wright's layin and two free throws on separate trips by Robinson put NSU up four, 65-51, at 3:15. Again, Eckerd was able to knot the game up, this time at 2:25, on back-to-back layups by Thomas, who ended up with a game-high 28 points.
The Sharks came up empty on their next turn, and though Bowlin was sent to the line for a chance to take the lead, she went 0-for-2 to keep the game tied. NSU worked it in to Wright on the other end, who was fouled on a layup attempt and calmly sank both free throws for a 67-65 lead at 1:25.
Eckerd's ensuing attempt to tie spanned three offensive boards and ended with Jordyn Alexander drawing a foul. She would only make the second of two free throws, however, to keep NSU ahead, 67-66 with 55 seconds left.
Again, the Tritons' defense held, forcing a miss on the home end, but the Sharks responded by forcing a high pass out-of-bounds to get the ball back with 1.9 seconds to go. A baseball heave from the Eckerd side of midcourt found its way to Murphy, who iced the game with two free throws with just one second left, giving NSU the three-point win.
"We beat a very good team today," said NSU head coach LeAnn Freeland. "Our team unity was evident down the stretch. We didn't let adversity affect the outcome; we just kept playing together."
Wright notched a career high for the second straight game with 21 points, including a 5-of-6 mark from the free throw line. Robinson added 13 points, nine rebounds, four assists and five steals, with Merritt scoring nine points and hauling in 10 boards. Valley also had nine points, along with five boards and four steals, Murphy had seven points, and while freshman
Mary Hirt (Hartland, Wis.) only had one point, she provided a much-needed spark with five rebounds, including three in a span of 1:27 with under five minutes left, two on the offensive end.
Besides Thomas' 28, Bowlin notched 12 points and had six assists in all 45 minutes of game action, while Trine Kasemagi had 11 points.
NSU looks for their sixth straight in-conference victory on Saturday when they travel to Lakeland to play Florida Southern, 9-10 overall and 3-6 in SSC play. It will be a 5:30 p.m. evening tip against the Mocs. With their respective wins Wednesday, the Sharks and Florida Tech (both 8-2) each gained a half-game on SSC-leading Rollins (8-1), who faced and defeated out-of-conference foe Palm Beach Atlantic, 82-73.
