WINTER PARK, Fla. – Facing its first road test since November 15, Nova Southeastern appeared uncomfortable for much of the evening Saturday at Rollins. The Sharks shot just 36.5 percent from the field and committed 20 turnovers before stumbling 81-71 in a Sunshine State Conference matchup against the Tars. Nick Smith tallied a team-high 19 points while David Dennis added 17 of his own, yet head coach Jim Crutchfield's bunch was unable to find any sort of offensive consistency versus the Tars' pesky zone defense.  

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Rollins 81, Nova Southeastern 71
Records: Rollins (9-7, 5-3 SSC), Nova Southeastern (10-3, 4-3 SSC)
Location: Warden Arena | Winter Park, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
1^st Half | Nova Southeastern trailed by as many as six in the early going, but leaned on its three-point shooting to grab a 17-14 edge at the 12:04 mark of the first half. Consecutive three-point makes by Smith kept the Sharks in front 23-20. However, the Tars battled back with five straight points, as both sides would trade leads a total of eight times throughout the opening 20 minutes. The two teams found themselves deadlocked at 34-34 with 3:08 to play. A 9-2 spurt, though, would give Rollins a 43-36 advantage entering intermission.

2^nd Half | As part of a 7-0 run to begin the second half, two Dennis free throws pulled the Sharks back even at 43-43 with just over 18 minutes remaining. A Jack Fleming jumper would stretch Rollins' cushion back out to eight until Nova Southeastern reeled of nine straight points to regain the lead, including six in a row by Gerard Tarin. A Nick Stampley bucket helped the Sharks climb on top 65-64 with under eight minutes left. Eric Castaneda would respond with a lay-in on the other end, though, putting the Tars in front for good as they would eventually ice the ball game by converting 13-of-14 at the line down the stretch.

 STATS OF THE NIGHT:

• Dennis tied a season-high with seven steals in the effort, keeping him on top of the NCAA Division II lead with 4.0 per game.
• After hitting 6-of-14 from beyond the arc in the first half, the Sharks made just two of their 18 three-point attempts in the second half.
• Tarin netted 12 points in just 12 minutes of action.

UP NEXT:
NSU will look to rebound on the road when it travels to face Embry-Riddle this 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.