WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern women's basketball team dropped its fifth Sunshine State Conference matchup, 73-60, to the host Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish on Wednesday evening in the Rubin Arena.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
FINAL: L, 60-73
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern Sharks (9-7, 5-5 SSC), Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish (4-12, 3-7 SSC)
LOCATION: Rubin Arena | West Palm Beach, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
1ST QUARTER | The start of the first quarter saw the Sailfish jump out to a 6-2 edge before a lay in by
Christen Prasse cut the deficit to two, 6-4. PBA continued to add pressure, grabbing as much as a five-point lead (10-5) before a 6-0 run by the Sharks gave NSU a slim 11-10 lead at the 2:41 mark. A pair of free throws by PBA's Hannah Grim put the advantage back on the home side, 12-11, and the Sailfish held the lead through the end of the quarter, heading into the second with a 15-13 edge.
2ND QUARTER | Unlike the first frame, it was all NSU in the start of the second as the Sharks exploded for a 10-0 run, capped with a layup by Prasse, to grab their largest lead of the game, 23-15. Nova Southeastern stayed out in front by at least three throughout the majority of the quarter, until a trey by Grim cut the spread to just two, 26-24. The two teams exchanged buckets before the break, keeping the Sharks on top, 28-26.
3RD QUARTER | At the 7:45 mark in the third, a layup by PBA's Nkiru Anyagaligbo gave the Sailfish a 32-30 lead, one they would not relinquish throughout the remainder of the game. The host team went on to outscore the Sharks 23-13 in the frame, taking a 49-41 advantage before the final 10 minutes began.
4TH QUARTER | 3:35 into the fourth quarter, a
Cheray Saunders layup cut the deficit to eight, 55-47, the closest the Sharks would get to the Sailfish who were 8-of-16 from the field and 8-of-10 from the line in the last quarter alone.
INSIDE THE STATS:
- Prasse led all the Sharks with 15 points, while also adding a game-high six assists.
- Megan Piggott joined Prasse in double-digits, tallying 11 points. She also collected four boards and had two steals.
- Saunders pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds, a new career-high. She also had seven points.
- Alison Hughes put up eight points and Mikayla Thompson recorded six rebounds.
- PBA held the Sharks to 30.7 percent shooting from the field, and 11.5 percent from deep.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- NSU grabbed 49 rebounds on the night, a season-high.
- The game was tied on four separate occasions and there was a total of four lead changes.
- The overall series moves to 23-6 in NSU's favor.
UP NEXT
The Sharks will head to Lakeland, Fla. this Saturday to compete against the Florida Southern Moccasins. The game is slated to begin at 5:30 p.m.
SHARKS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Follow along with live updates on Twitter by following @NSU_WBasketball