FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Isaac White's clutch three-point bucket kept Nova Southeastern alive in the final moments of the second half before the Sharks imposed their will in overtime and capped a 15-point comeback by beating Saint Leo 77-69 in Sunshine State Conference action Saturday evening. Head coach Jim Crutchfield's team shot just 39.7 percent for the ball game, yet were given a second life after Lions' guard Isaiah Hill had the potential game-winner rim out at the buzzer of regulation. David Dennis led all scorers with 26 points, while Dwayne Gibson added 14 to go along with 13 from Nick Stampley.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Nova Southeastern 77, Saint Leo 69 (OT)
Records: Nova Southeastern (11-4, 5-4 SSC), Saint Leo (8-12, 4-5 SSC)
Location: The Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
1^st Half | An underwhelming offensive display that included 11 first-half turnovers forced the Sharks into a 13-point hole less than 10 minutes into the contest. In fact, Nova Southeastern didn't reach the 10-point mark until 7:50 remaining before the break. However, after DeAndre King's three-pointer put the Lions ahead 30-15, the Sharks were finally able to gather some momentum and began to chip away at the lead. A pair of free throws by Nick Smith cut the deficit back to single digits until Stampley's offensive put-back closed the gap to 36-28 at halftime.

2^nd Half | Following a rough opening 20 minutes, Nova Southeastern hit 4-of-6 from the field to begin the second half and pulled to within four on a Dennis lay-in. Back-to-back treys by Lukas Landgren and Dennis trimmed the margin to 51-50 before another Dennis lay-in gave the Sharks their first lead of the night with 8:56 remaining in regulation. Following three lead changes, Saint Leo regained a four-point edge at the 1:35 mark thanks to two freebies by Kyran McClure. The Lions' advantage was still three with 16 seconds to go, until White, who had replaced a fouled-out Smith just a minute prior, sunk a timely trey from the corner to knot the contest at 65-65. Still with a chance for the win, Saint Leo turned to Hill, but his midrange jumper popped out after going halfway down.

1^st OT | Gibson gave Nova Southeastern a bit of breathing room with four straight points to open overtime. Just moments later, Gibson followed his own missed jumper for a tip-in to keep the four-point cushion intact. With Saint Leo fighting to stay within range, Pat Huffine forced a key turnover as the Sharks were eventually able to seal the deal at the foul line.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Following Saturday's victory, the Sharks are now a perfect 4-0 in overtime ball games, two coming in league play.

 STATS OF THE NIGHT:

• Dennis converted 10-of-19 from the field in the win, his fourth game this season with double-digit makes.
• Nova Southeastern found success inside against Saint Leo, outscoring the Lions 36-22 in the paint.
• The Sharks' recorded a season-high eight blocks in the effort, including three by Gerard Tarin.

UP NEXT:
NSU will return to the road, where it'll face Palm Beach Atlantic next Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET. For complete coverage of the action, follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball or visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com.