FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The No. 23 Nova Southeastern University women's basketball team will kick off its 2016-17 season with its annual NSU Tipoff Classic, hosting fellow SSC member Barry University as well as two regional opponents from the Gulf South Conference, Union University and Delta State University, this weekend at the NSU Arena.
The Sharks, 24-7 a year ago and fresh off their fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament, the Sharks will face off against Delta State on Friday at 5:00 p.m. before taking on the No. 19 Bulldogs of Union University on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. At 2:30 p.m. on Friday it will be Union vs. Barry and at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, Barry and Delta State will compete.
DSU finished last season 22-7 and 16-6 in the GSC, returning five players from last year's GSC tournament-champion squad. The Lady Statesmen sported the No. 1 defense in NCAA Division II basketball last season, giving up just 50.3 points per game. That mark was also top in the GSC. The Lady Statesmen were ranked No. 15 nationally in field goal percentage defense, holding their opponents to a mere 35.5% shooting clip.
Union finished last season No. 22 in the final poll after climbing as high as No. 9, their highest since going NCAA DII. The Lady Bulldogs finished 28-4 last season overall and 20-2 in the Gulf South Conference. The 20 wins not only gave Union their third GSC Regular Season Title in four years, but also set a new GSC record for conference wins. In addition to the No. 19 ranking in the USA Today/Coaches' Poll, the Lady Bulldogs also claimed the No. 1 spot in the GSC Coaches' Preseason Poll.
NSU will look toward returning guard
Taylor Buie, the second-highest scorer in 2015-16 (13.3 ppg/2.3 rpg/30.4 mpg), to help drive the offense along with a number of strong newcomers. Juniors
Katie Barnard (3.3 ppg/2.2 rpg/12.9 mpg) and
Christen Prasse (2.2 ppg/1.3 rpg) are also expected to contribute for the Sharks.
This will be the third time overall the Sharks and the Lady Statesmen will face off, as NSU hold a 2-0 advantage over the GSC team. Against the Bulldogs, the two teams each have one win and will look towards grabbing the series advantage come Saturday.
During halftime of the Delta State game on Friday evening, Nova Southeastern University will unveil the 2016 Baseball Div. II National Championship Banner.
All four games throughout the weekend will have live streaming with audio and live stats, with every link available at the NSU Stretch portal
HERE. They can be found individually for the two NSU games at the top of this page. For team websites, rosters and a schedule of games, click
HERE.
