FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Do-it-all point guard
David Dennis continued his torrid month of December with a 33-point, 10-rebound effort as Nova Southeastern wore down Elizabeth City State for an eventual 99-79 win on Tuesday afternoon at the Rick Case Arena. The 33-point performance set a new career high for the junior, while
Malik Hardy chipped in with 19 points and four steals to go along with fellow freshman
Nick Smith's 17 points and nine rebounds.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Nova Southeastern 99, Elizabeth City State 79
Records: Nova Southeastern (9-1), Elizabeth City State (3-5)
Location: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
1
ST HALF | Though the teams traded leads six times in the opening frame, the Sharks were in control almost throughout, leading for over 17 minutes without allowing the Vikings' edge to extend past two points. After trailing 10-9 less than five minutes in, Nova Southeastern went on a 7-0 run and never let ECSU retake the lead. The Sharks held a slight 39-36 advantage with three minutes until halftime just before exploding for a 12-1 run to claim a 51-40 cushion heading into the break.
2
ND HALF | ECSU fought back to as close as three points at the 14:29 mark, but once again, the Sharks turned it on and built their margin back up to double-digits after an 11-2 spurt within a two-minute span. Nova Southeastern maintained its double-digit lead for the game's final 12-plus minutes, widening the gap by as many as 22 in the final minute of action before a pair of Vikings free throws brought the game to its final score.
INSIDE THE STATS:
- Dennis' 33 points mark a career-high, eclipsing the 30 he scored in his final game at West Liberty, which he had previously topped with back-to-back 31-point efforts against NYIT and Benedict.
- With 30 or more points in three consecutive games, and a five-game streak of 20 or more, Dennis, now averaging 21.9 points per game, has surpassed Hardy as the team's leading scorer. Over his last five games, the junior is averaging 28.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 9.0 assists, and 4.2 steals, while shooting .557 from the field, .600 from 3-point range and .816 from the free throw line.
- Dennis also posted his fifth double-double as a member of the Sharks, and his first with double-digit points and rebounds, since the team's season-opening victory over Florida National on November 11.
- The freshman trio of Hardy, Smith, Nick Stampley, who started together for the first time, combined for 42 points and 18 rebounds along with a .515 shooting percentage (17-of-33).
- Felipe Souza earned a career-high 16 minutes of action off the bench, tallying four points and four rebounds.
- The Sharks outrebounded the Vikings 51-27, their largest rebounding margin of the season, topping the previous high of 22 (51-29) in their victory over Caldwell on November 27.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- The Sharks reached the half-century mark by halftime for the seventh time in 10 games this season. The Vikings, meanwhile, allowed 50 points in the first half for the third time in eight games.
UP NEXT:
The Sharks will earn some rest over the holiday break before hosting ninth-ranked Barry on Saturday, December 30 at the Rick Case Arena in one of the most intriguing matchups around the country so far this season. The Sharks and Bucs entered today with just one less each, both ranking among the top-five teams in the nation in scoring.
