WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern University women's basketball team emerged from the Rubin Arena with a 79-65 victory over the Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish on Wednesday evening. With the win, the Sharks improve to 14-7 and 10-3 in the Sunshine State Conference. PBA's second-straight loss demotes them to 7-13 overall and 3-10 against SSC members.
 
The first quarter was tight, as the two teams exchanged leads four times with two ties. Tied at 7-7 with 6:14 on the board, the Sharks took off on a 10-3 run, grabbing their largest lead yet at 17-10 with a layup and one by Octavia Wilson. The Sailfish then responded with a run of their own, tallying eight-unanswered points to steal back the lead, 18-17, before a trey by Cheray Saunders with 10 seconds remaining put the Sharks back on top at the end of the first, 20-18.
 
The trend of a close game continued throughout the first five minutes of the second quarter, as the 'Fish and the Sharks stayed within four points of each other. Tied at 27-27 with 7:01 left, PBA's Nikkira Brown drew a layup to give the Sailfish their last lead of the game. A layup by Maria Bardeeva tied the game once more, before a free throw by Megan Piggott gave the Sharks back the lead (30-29), one they would never relinquish. NSU closed out the first half with a 11-6 run, capped with a pair of free throws by Christen Prasse, to take a 41-35 lead into the break.
 
Returning from the halftime, the Sharks kept the momentum on their side, capitalizing on a 10-3 run to grab their largest lead of the game, 53-38. NSU maintained a double-digit lead throughout the rest of the quarter until with 1:09 left in the frame, PBA's Ayanna Holmes sank a jumper to cut the deficit to nine, only to be answered with a three by Wilson to push them back to +12.
 
Layups by Bardeeva and Prasse kicked off the scoring in the final frame, as the Sharks went back to a 15-point lead, before PBA slowly but surely cut away at the deficit, coming as close as six points (64-58). With six minutes to go, NSU capitalized on points from the line, tallying 10 total, including six from Prasse alone. On the night, the junior guard shot 10-of-11 from the line, a career-high performance, en route to the Sharks' 79-65 victory.
 
Thanks to her outstanding effort on the line and 5-of-7 shooting from the field, Prasse led all Sharks in scoring with a total of 20 points. Prasse also added eight rebounds (all defensive), seven assists and three steals in what could arguably be defined as one of the best nights of her career. Katie Barnard also had a career-high on Wednesday night with 10 boards, and added eight points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting. Wilson and Amanda Tivenius were also in double-digits with 11 points apiece, and Tivenius tacked on three steals. Saunders tallied seven points to go along with five assists, while Logan had nine points, six boards and three assists.
Hannah Grim was the Sailfish and the night's leading scorer with 23 points, followed by Brown with 14 and Holmes with 11. Holmes also made it a double-double with 11 rebounds.
 
Nova Southeastern is back in action this Saturday in the Rick Case Arena as it hosts Florida Tech at 2:00 p.m. Earlier this season on the road, the Sharks fell to the Panthers, 57-46. For live coverage, head to the women's basketball schedule page at NSUSharks.com and follow @NSUSharks and @NSUWBasketball on Twitter.