FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern women's basketball team kicked off their home schedule on the right foot on Saturday evening with a 72-66 victory over the University of Tampa at the Rick Case Arena.  
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
FINAL: W, 72-66
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern (3-1, 2-0 SSC), Tampa Spartans (3-1, 1-1 SSC)
LOCATION: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
1ST QUARTER | The Sharks scored the first two field goals, holding a 4-1 lead just over a minute into the game. A pair of 3-pointers ignited an 8-2 Spartans rally, but the Sharks responded immediately with a 12-2 run of their own – half from Cheray Saunders, part of an eight-point quarter on 4-of-4 from the field – for an 18-11 lead. They pushed out further to a game-high eight-point lead on a three-ball from Mikayla Thompson before a Tampa free throw ended the quarter with the Sharks in front, 21-14.
 
2ND QUARTER | Continuing to press into the second period, the Sharks took their first double-digit lead on Megan Piggott's second triple of the game. Starting the quarter on a 10-3 run, NSU took its largest lead of the half at the five-minute mark, by a score of 31-17. The Spartans could only begin to try to cut into the margin, as a 4-of-4 period from Kayla Wright helped the Sharks stay ahead by double digits, 35-24, at the break.
 
3RD QUARTER | The Sharks refused to let up out of halftime, hitting their first three field goals, including a pair of 3-pointers, to begin the second half, their first miss nearly three minutes in. Not to be outdone, the Spartans made their first four, spanning over four minutes. Still, the Sharks managed to increase their lead even further, up to 15 at 9:16, 16 points 45 seconds later, and 17 points 45 seconds after that. Natalia Leaks' first bucket of the game with 3:37 left put the Sharks ahead by 19 at 53-34, then her first 3-pointer of her Shark career for their first 20-point lead (58-38) with just over a minute left before a Tampa layup made it 58-40 entering the game's final frame.
 
4TH QUARTER | Still up 67-50 with four minutes left in the game, the Spartans finally started to whittle down the lead, as the Sharks were called for nine fouls down the stretch, but it was too little, too late. The Spartans held the Sharks to just 3-of-10 shooting from the field for the entire period but were only able to convert on seven of their 14 free throw attempts. Despite outscoring the Sharks 26-14 in the quarter, they could only get to within six, on a last-second layup that brought the game to its final score of 72-66.
 
INSIDE THE STATS:

• Wright shot 8-of-12 from the field, collecting 19 points, right in line with her season average of 19.3, and she also continued her improved foul shooting. After struggling to a 50.8 percent free throw percentage (96-189) during her first two seasons, she hit on 3 of 4 at the stripe tonight to improve to 72.2 percent (13-18) so far this young season.
• Saunders tallied 17 points, just two shy of her career high, but did match her career high of six assists, while contributing four rebounds and three steals.
• Maria Bardeeva recorded a new career high by corralling seven rebounds.
• Both teams shot 50 percent or better from the field but less than 60 percent at the free throw line.
• Tampa shot 60 percent from the field in the second half, while the Sharks were at 55 percent.

 
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• The team's 62.5 percent 3-point percentage is their best since January 10, 2015, when they made 9-of-14 (64.3%) against Florida Southern, and the best on at least as many attempts since they set the program record with 19 made 3's out of 29 (65.5%), also against Florida Southern, on December 7, 2013.

 
UP NEXT
 
The Sharks will host its annual Thanksgiving Classic this upcoming Friday and Saturday, Nov. 24 and 25. NSU will host West Alabama, Lee and fellow SSC member Embry-Riddle. The Sharks will kick off play against West Alabama on Friday at 2:00 p.m.
 
 
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Follow along with live updates on Twitter by following @NSU_WBasketball.