FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Down by four in the final three minutes of the game, the Nova Southeastern women's basketball team rallied to outscore the West Alabama Tigers, 77-75, in its first game of the 2017 Thanksgiving Classic.  
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
FINAL: W, 77-75
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern (4-1), West Alabama Tigers (2-3)
LOCATION: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
1ST QUARTER | Back-to-back layups by Kayla Wright and Skyla Osceola pushed the Sharks out in front, 4-0, and NSU was able to hold onto its lead until the 4:28 mark when a 3-pointer by Sydney Bozeman gave the Tigers their first lead of the game, 8-7. The lead changed seven more times, but it was the Sharks that ended up with the 15-14 edge at the end of the first quarter, capped with a layup by Cheray Saunders.
 
2ND QUARTER | The first half of the second quarter saw the Sharks outscore the Tigers, 13-6, good enough for an eight-point lead, 28-20, at the 5:04 mark. NSU's offense continued to put the pressure on UWA, grabbing its largest lead of the game, nine points (34-25), almost three minutes later. In the final 1:40, however, West Alabama used a 9-4 run, capped with a trey by J'Niah Daniels in the final second, to cut the Sharks' lead to three points, 38-35, heading into the break.
 
3RD QUARTER | West Alabama had all the momentum on their side in the third, outscoring the Sharks 22-15. Continuing their run from the second quarter, the Tigers were able to knot the game at the 6:36 mark, 41-41, with a layup by Daniels. After another tie and five more lead changes, the visitors on the scoreboard earned as much as a six-point advantage, 54-48. With 0:54 remaining in the quarter, NSU cut the deficit to just one point, 54-53, with a 5-0 run, but another three at the buzzer by UWA gave them a 57-53 lead heading into the final frame.
 
4TH QUARTER | UWA took off on a 5-0 run to start the fourth quarter, taking their largest lead of the game, also nine points, 62-53, at the 7:41 mark. NSU was unable to get closer than four points of the Tigers until Megan Piggott drained a 3-pointer, assisted by Osceola, to bring the Sharks within three, 68-65 with 3:32 left to go. A pair of free throws by Tazsa Garrett-Hammett gave the Tigers a five-point lead, 70-65, but that would be their largest lead left of the game as the Sharks starter to chip away at their lead with about three minutes left in play. Down by three, 72-69, another three by Piggott, her fourth of the game, tied the game for the final time, 72-72, at the 2:02 mark. After a three-point play by UWA, a pair of free throws by Alison Hughes made it 75-74 in UWA's favor, before a layup by Piggott pushed the Sharks out in front, 76-75, and they never looked back, ultimately taking the victory.
 
INSIDE THE STATS: 

• Piggott led the Sharks with 17 points, connecting on 5-of-7 from the field and a solid 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. She also had three boards.
• Osceola and Wright joined Piggott in double-digits, tallying 11 and 14 points each, respectively. Wright also contributed five rebounds, two assists and two steals, while Osceola had five assists.
• Saunders added six points to go along with six rebounds, also tallying five assists.
• Amanda Tivenius registered a game-high eight boards and had eight points, shooting a perfect 4-of-4 from the line.
• Off the bench, the Sharks tallied 41 points compared to UWA's 22.

 
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE: 

• Both Osceola's points (11) and assists (5) tallied today were career highs. Before today, her career-high in points was only three.
• Today's game signified the first time the Sharks and the Tigers had competed against each other.

  
UP NEXT
 
The Sharks will conclude play in the 2017 Thanksgiving Classic tomorrow, Saturday Nov. 25, at 2:00 p.m. as it takes on Lee University. The Flames fell to the Embry-Riddle Eagles on Friday, 86-66, in their first game of the classic.
 
 
SHARKS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
 
Follow along with live updates on Twitter by following @NSU_WBasketball.