MELBOURNE, Fla. – Harrison Goodrick's 31-point, 21-rebound performance helped erase the memory of 18 first-half turnovers Sunday evening as Nova Southeastern improved to 4-6 on the season with a runaway, 88-68 victory over Point on day one of the Florida Tech Winter Classic.
The senior was already well on his way to his third consecutive double-double following nine points and nine boards in the opening half, but like the rest of his teammates, stepped his play up another notch in the final 20 minutes to record the program's first-ever 30-point, 20-rebound effort.
With Gerard Tarin sidelined, Patt Huffine filled in with 15 points and six rebounds in his second start of the season, while Dwayne Gibson added 14 points and five assists in the victory.
The Sharks did little right in the first half, yet trailed just 33-31 after limiting the Skyhawks to 27.3 percent shooting from the field in the opening period. Head coach Gary Tuell's halftime speech appeared to leave its mark, though, as Nova Southeastern cut back on the turnovers in the second half while shooting a blistering 67.9 percent.
"For some reason we've had problems with turnovers and fouls so far this year," said Goodrick. "At halftime coached challenged us. The guys took that to heart and we came out and took care of business."
A thunderous Goodrick dunk capped a 10-2 spurt at the start of the second half to help the Sharks build a 48-40 cushion before a pair of free throws by Huffine built the lead to double-digits with 10:16 to play in regulation.
Six straight points by Goodrick in a 1:19 span later furthered Nova Southeastern's advantage to 77-62 at the 5:22 mark when Troy Spears landed the dagger on the ensuing possession with one of his two triples in the ball game.
"I wanted to come out aggressive and attack the basket," Goodrick answered when asked about his strong play. "I try to lead by example. If I'm tentative, everyone else is going to be tentative. I try to have that same mindset throughout each game.
"It's all about picking up the win, though. We have to continue to get better and come back tomorrow and step up. We have to keep working and get one more victory before the holiday break."
NSU dominated Point on the inside Sunday, pouring in 46 points in the paint while outrebounding the Skyhawks by a 45-27 margin.
The Florida Tech Winter Classic will continue Monday at 3 p.m. ET when the Sharks return to action to face Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras. For complete coverage of the action, log onto NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball.
