FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern University men's basketball team fell just short in their bid for two straight home wins over the top team in the Sunshine State Conference, with No. 24 Eckerd prevailing on Saturday, 60-56.
 
In a game featuring 15 lead changes, the Sharks (10-15, 5-10 SSC) took their last with 2:06 to go on a Harrison Goodrick (Jr., Sydney, Australia) layup, 54-52. Eckerd (21-5, 11-3 SSC) immediately answered on a layup of their own by Obi Kyei, and after a Shark turnover, went ahead on an impossible leaner from just inside the 3-point line by Jerrick Stevenson.
 
Those two baskets actually started a short 7-0 spurt for the visitors, putting them up by two possessions with only 24 seconds left, 59-54. Chris Page (Sr., Plainfield, Ind.) cut it to three with under seven seconds to go on a drive to the rim, but 1-of-2 free throws by the Tritons' Kevin Walsh sealed it.
 
"Are we playing great or what?" said head coach Gary Tuell. "I know we punted a two-point lead away, missed the front end of a big 1-and-1 and turned the ball over in the final couple of minutes, all when we either had the lead or were tied. We've made those kind of mistakes all year. For some reason -- perhaps it's the lack of that strong floor general who gets you organized and gets the ball to the right person at the right time – but whatever the reason, we've been on the short end of so many tough games and almost always because we turn it over or fail to execute properly under pressure. I feel badly for our guys. They're playing their hearts out right now. 
 
"A week ago we knock off Barry, who was in first place in the league at the time. Today we go to the wire with Eckerd, who is in first place in the league now and is ranked second in the NCAA South Region. For our guys to be doing this, to be fighting and battling and competing at this level right now, I'm so proud of them. Look at our last three results against the top three teams in this league: a three-point loss at Rollins (after losing to them by one at home), a 14-point win over Barry (after losing to them by three at their place), and a four-point loss today to Eckerd in a game that was tied with under two minutes to play. We're really playing well now. Our guys are improving and they're starting to get it."
 
The Sharks fell despite shooting 59.1 percent in the second half and, overall in the game, 44.9 percent (to Eckerd's 36.4). They also forced the Tritons into 15 turnovers. But Eckerd's rebounding edge of 42-29, including 16 offensive (and limiting the Sharks to three on their end), helped them to come away with the win.
 
"Defensively, we're one of the best teams in the league and certainly the best defensive team we've had here in my 12 years," said Tuell. "What did Eckerd shoot for the game … 36.4 percent from the field and 30.4 percent on threes? Our guys are giving great effort. They're together as a team, they're fighting for each other. I will always believe that this team has a shot at doing something special until the day we have to put the balls away. Something good is going to happen for us, but we also have to take responsibility for the mistakes we make that have cost us at least eight or nine wins. We have to stop making the same silly mistakes over and over. If we could just do that I honestly believe we could make a run at the conference tournament championship."
 
In his last home game with the squad, Page scored 24 points to lead all scorers. The only other Shark in double digits was fellow senior Mike Chalas (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) with 11, including three 3-pointers. Goodrick scored eight and Dwayne Gibson (Fr., Indianapolis, Ind.) seven.
 
"We're still not getting enough scoring, enough balance, from our lineups," said Tuell. "We've got some guys on this team who are capable of scoring a whole lot more than they are now. We need some guys to step up offensively. As a team we need a lot of work still to become a better offensive team." 
 
The two other Shark seniors bidding farewell to the home crowd were Albert Nassar (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and Nick Pendergast (Bridgewater, Conn.). Nassar had a rebound and steal; Pendergast came up with three rebounds and had three blocked shots.
 
"It was a tough way for the seniors, Chris Page, Nick Pendergast, Albert Nassar and Mike Chalas, to go out," said Tuell. "A really tough loss for them to swallow. Those are four great young men. We're going to miss them in the Shark Tank next year. They're special people."
 
NSU concludes regular season play in seven days, traveling to take on Florida Southern at 7:30 p.m. in Lakeland. Conference seeding will certainly be on the line, with the Sharks 5-10 and Mocs currently 5-9, plus a Wednesday game against these same Eckerd Tritons.
 
"We're in final exams and mid-term exams this week so it's good that we have Wednesday off," said Tuell. "But we need to do a lot of work before going to Florida Southern Saturday. Finishing the season on the road at the defending national champs, as Southern is, will be another tough test for us. But we're looking forward to it. Our guys are not done playing. Our guys are working their tails off to get better. We're not ready to stop. We're playing better now than we have all year and we want to keep playing, keep improving and see if we can do something significant. Hopefully we get the opportunity."