FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Head coach Jim Crutchfield may have gained a few more gray hairs on Monday night, but his Nova Southeastern team still found a way to remain undefeated with a wild 105-102, triple-overtime victory over visiting Caldwell. Nova Southeastern squandered a double-digit lead with 3:33 remaining in regulation following a number of back-breaking buckets scored by the Cougars. Yet, the Sharks responded with some toughness of their own before finally securing one final stop in the closing moments of the third overtime session to escape with a new program-record fifth straight win to open the year.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Nova Southeastern 105, Caldwell 102 (3OT)
Records: Nova Southeastern (5-0), Caldwell (1-6)
Location: The Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
1^st Half | Dwayne Gibson started strong on a night in which he reeled off a career-high 27 points. The junior's three-point basket staked the Sharks to an early 8-2 cushion. That margin soon grew to 15-6 on a Malik Hardy jumper with 13:21 to play in the opening half. In what eventually proved to be the theme of the night, though, Caldwell found a way to hang around and regained a 23-21 lead following a 15-4 spurt. However, as quickly as the Cougars got hot, Nova Southeastern cooled them off with its own 11-0 run capped by a David Dennis jumper in the lane. Dennis was again involved on the next possession, only this time dishing to Hardy for the open triple as the Sharks went into the locker room in front 41-32.

2^nd Half | Early in the second half, Nova Southeastern saw its lead grow to as large as 12 following a Gerard Tarin free throw. Just as the Sharks appeared to be finding a bit more of their rhythm, Caldwell chipped away once again and found itself back to within two after Zay Jennings connected on one of his seven three-pointers in the contest. A pair of Nick Smith free throws kept the Sharks ahead by eight with only 1:35 to go in regulation. However, a lay-up by Jennings coupled by a Vaughn Covington three closed the gap back to three with 24 seconds showing on the clock. After an Isaac White lay-up on the other end, Covington was fouled on a three-point attempt and made Nova Southeastern pay by canning all three shots from the charity stripe. Inbounding with just seven seconds, the Sharks were tied up and quickly handed the ball right back to the Cougars with the possession arrow in their favor. Needing one last stop on the defensive end, the Sharks were whistled for a ticky-tack shooting foul with less than two seconds left and would soon be headed to overtime following back-to-back free throw makes by Eric Johnson-Alford.

1^st OT | Hardy came out firing in the first overtime, pouring in a quick six points in the period's first 51 seconds. The freshman later drilled his fourth three of the ball game to give the Sharks an 82-79 edge with 1:22 to go. Still, with Nova Southeastern up by two with five seconds left, Johnson-Alford hit an off-balance lay-up to extend the game.  

2^nd OT | Neither side separated itself by more than one possession in the second overtime as Caldwell's Derek Dorn tallied the period's final three points to force a third OT tied at 92-92.

3^rd OT | Smith knotted the game at 99-99 after splitting a pair of free throws when Tarin came up with a timely block on a drive by Dorn. Looking to capitalize on the defensive stand, Dennis dropped in a lay-up on the other end to put the Sharks back in front. Jennings wouldn't let the Cougars go away, and helped them climb back to within one on another deep shot from beyond the arc. With Nova Southeastern on top by three in the closing seconds, though, the Sharks finally forced Jennings into a miss to cap the highly-contested battle.  

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Monday marked Nova Southeastern's longest game in program history since its four-overtime contest against Webber International on March 1, 1993.
• The Sharks now improve to 2-0 all-time against Caldwell.
• Gibson notched the seventh 20-plus point effort of his career in the win, and first this season.
• Just one night earlier, Caldwell picked up a 79-77 road victory over Sunshine State Conference member Palm Beach Atlantic.

 STATS OF THE NIGHT:

• Hardy hovered right around his season average with 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including eight in the first overtime.
• Dennis finished just one rebound shy of a triple-double, tallying 14 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists. The junior also added four steals and two blocks on the defensive end of the floor.
• Tarin registered his second double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 boards.
• Smith gave the Sharks five players with double-figure scoring, totaling 16 points in a season-high 36 minutes.
• Nova Southeastern took advantage of its opportunities at the free throw line in the overtime periods by converting 11-of-13. The Sharks made just 14 combined free throws in regulation.
• The Sharks beat up Caldwell on the glass, owning a whopping 51-29 advantage in rebounds and 21-4 margin in second-chance points.

UP NEXT:
NSU will jump back into Sunshine State Conference play this Saturday at 8 p.m. ET when it welcomes Florida Southern to the Rick Case Arena. For complete coverage of the action, follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball or visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com.