NSU AUDIO | BARRY STREAMING | LIVE STATS
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The No. 11 Nova Southeastern University women's basketball team looks to extend their 10-game conference winning streak Wednesday night, going over the county line to Miami Shores to match up against Barry beginning at 5:30 p.m.
The Sharks (13-1, 5-0 SSC) have won their first five league games out of the gate after winning their final five to close out the regular season a year ago. Overall, the team has won eight straight for their second best start to a season in history. They will face off against a Barry (9-4, 3-2 SSC) squad ranked No. 8 in the latest D2SIDA South Region poll, and a team that is only a game out of second place in the SSC in the loss column.
NSU escaped St. Petersburg with a one-point win over Eckerd last Wednesday, led by the most recent SSC Offensive Player of the Week,
Kayla Wright (Jr., Lauderhill, Fla.), who poured in 26 points. She took over the team lead in scoring average, ranking fourth in the league at 14.9, just ahead of 14.5 a night from
Taylor Buie (R-Jr., Puyallup, Wash.), who is sixth. Wright was 11-of-13 from the field against the Tritons, pushing her season shooting percentage back up to nearly 60 percent, topping the SSC and slotting 11th in the nation.
Equaling Wright's season average for Barry is Amra Elezovic, who is also the Bucs' team leader in rebounding, field goal percentage and free throw percentage. The team also features a lethal 3-point attack, leading the league in makes, attempts and percentage and having the top two individuals in both number made and percentage (also ranking in the top 50 nationally in both): Ines Kerin, 2.8 per game at 48.1 percent, each leading the conference; Jackie Perez, 2.6 at 43.2 percent, both second.
Also for the Sharks,
Monaye Merritt (R-Sr., Philadelphia, Pa.) continues her bid for SSC Defensive Player of the Year. The 5-6 point guard leads NSU in rebounds, steals and blocked shots, ranking in the top seven in each of the latter categories. She also continues to pace all SSC players in assists and assists per game – placing 21st and 17th in all of DII – as well as in free throws made and attempted. Merritt's 9.9 points per game is third, just a smidge ahead of
Molly Blomer's (Sr., West Chester, Ohio) 9.6.
Ida Krogh (Sr., Aarhus, Denmark) has had between 13-16 points each of the last four games, raising her season scoring average from 4.1 to 7.2, ranking fifth.
The Sharks have won the last five in the series, including three over the Bucs last year: away (76-68), home (57-55), and in the SSC Championship title game (61-51). By winning seven of the last eight, NSU has taken a 21-16 advantage all-time.
