ST. LEO, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern University men's basketball team fell in the quarterfinal round of the 2016 Sunshine State Conference Championship, 82-73 to Saint Leo on Wednesday night.
 
The Sharks (11-16) and Lions (19-10) battled to 13 lead changes, with the last swing going NSU's way courtesy of a Mike Chalas (Sr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) 3-pointer at the 4:18 mark, making it 66-65. Harrison Goodrick (Jr., Sydney, Australia) extended the lead with a layup with 3:49 to go, before Saint Leo's Marcus Dewberry knotted it up with a '3' 25 seconds later.
 
Unfortunately for the Sharks, Goodrick picked up his fifth foul at 3:02. Though Chris Page (Sr., Plainfield, Ind.) made 1-of-2 free throws for a 69-68 advantage with just 2:42 left, over the next 1:56, the Lions scored seven in a row. All told, in the last three minutes, the home team scored 14 of the final 19 points of the game to pick up the victory.

"First of all, congratulations to Vince Alexander and to the Saint Leo team," said head coach Gary Tuell. "Vince is a terrific coach, and his team dug deep down the stretch and earned the right to advance.

"I'm really proud of our guys; I couldn't be more proud. They were warriors out there. They rode the bus for four-plus hours, climbed off, and competed their rear ends off. We took the fight to Saint Leo in a tough environment for us to play in, which doesn't surprise me because that's what these guys have done for most of the past two months. We knew this was a particularly difficult matchup for us. They have great guards and are the best 3-point shooting team in the league. When the game was tied with three minutes to play, the crowd really energized them and gave them a big lift."
 
Goodrick dominated the post yet again, scoring 20 points and pulling down 14 rebounds, six on the offensive glass. In his final game as a Shark, Page scored 16, while freshman Dwayne Gibson (Indianapolis, Ind.) was a point off his career best with 15. Both had five rebounds, as did Nick Pendergast (Sr., Bridgewater, Conn.) in his final appearance.

"We threw a 3-2 zone at them in the first half, with 6-8 Harrison Goodrick on the point, and it really bothered them," said Tuell. "They struggled. If we had shot it a little better, or could have been up 15 or more at the half, maybe the outcome would have been a little different. Obviously, the game swung to their side when we were tied with three to play and Harrison picked up his fifth foul. I just wish we had Harrison on the floor for the final three miuntes, but there's nothing we can do about it.

"I felt sorry for Chris Page. He tried so hard to carry us after Harry fouled out, but he had a tough night and probably pressed too much. It was an uncharacteristically off night for him. He has been great for us for three years, and you just wanted him to go out on a better performance. He tried his best and he fought hard ... it was just a tough night."
 
BJ Edwards (So., Fort Myers, Fla.) came off the bench for eight key points, and another senior, Chalas, had six. The final departing Shark, Albert Nassar (Sr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), fittingly scored the last points for the team of the season, a runner with less than five seconds left.

"Even with Harry in foul trouble and Chris having an off night, we fought hard and battled and put ourselves in a position to have a chance," said Tuell. "It is always tough to see the season end, especially when you coach a team that has worked so hard all year, and that has improved so much. We were so good the last month. In victory and defeat we had great chemistry, great work ethic, great attitudes. If the season had another month, I think we could be the best team in the league."
 
Saint Leo was paced by Dewberry's 26, and Caleb Stewart had 22 to go along with 12 rebounds The Sharks held SLU to 37.5 percent shooting, though they were at 50 percent after the break, outscoring NSU 55-39. NSU held a slim rebounding advantage, 40-39, and, led by Goodrick, doubled the Lions in the paint, 44-22.

"I was blessed to have for terrific young men -- Chris Page, Mike Chalas, Nick Pendergast and Albert Nassar -- in our senior class, and we're going to miss them dearly," said Tuell. "This was a fun group of guys to coach, they just got better and better. I hate that their season ended the way it did. They deserved a chance to compete to the end with the best players on the floor. But life isn't always fair. We grew into a really good team. Our young returnees learned a lot of lessons. And they really improved. These guys have a bright future if they work hard in the offseason."