MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern women's basketball team registered its first loss of the 2018-19 season on Saturday afternoon, falling to the No. 4 Lady Bulldogs of Union University, 76-60, in their final game of the 2018 GSC/SSC Crossover Challenge.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
FINAL: L, 60-76
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern University Sharks (1-1), No. 4 Union University Bulldogs (2-0)
LOCATION: Health & Sports Center | Miami Shores, Fla.  
FOLLOW US: @NSUSHARKS on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
1ST QUARTER | Down 9-5 at the 6:14 mark, a three-pointer by Alison Hughes brought the Sharks within one at 9-8, before a 6-0 run by the Bulldogs pushed them out in front, 15-8. NSU responded with a five unanswered points of their own as another trey by Hughes and a layup by Megan Piggott cut the deficit to two, 15-13, at the end of the quarter.
 
2ND QUARTER | Returning to the floor, the Sharks rattled off six unanswered points, capped with a layup by Esabelle Levine, to take the lead 19-15 at the 7:39 mark. The game saw four more ties, with the last tie of the quarter coming with 38 seconds left before the break as Maria Bardeeva connected from deep to make it 30-30.
 
3RD QUARTER | An opening three pointer by Katie Barnard gave NSU the lead before the Bulldogs were able to put the advantage back on their side less than a minute and a half later. A jumper by Megan Piggott at the 7:41 mark tied things up, 35-35, before Union took advantage of a 15-0 run for a 50-35 lead. A trey by Alison Hughes brought the deficit back down to 10, 50-40, with 2:16 left on the scoreboard, but the Bulldogs were able to push it back out, taking a 54-44 advantage into the final frame.
 
4TH QUARTER | NSU opened the fourth quarter scoring with a made free throw by Iva Ilic but it didn't take long for Union's offense to get rolling, taking as much as a 23 point lead (75-52) with 2:19 remaining. The Sharks hinted at a comeback, tallying eight unanswered points with three pointers by Piggott and Conley and two from the line by Hughes, but it was not enough as Union finished off on top, 76-60.
 
INSIDE THE STATS:
 

• Hughes had her second straight night with double-digit scoring, tallying a team-high 18 points after going a perfect 4-of-4 from three-point range. She also added five rebounds and three assists.
• Levine and Conley each recorded nine points apiece, while Levine pulled down a team-high six boards.
• Piggott also had nine points to her name, while Bardeeva had eight points. Each also registered four rebounds.
• Turnovers proved costly for the Sharks, as they recorded 20 to Union's seven.

 
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
 

• From this weekend's two games, Hughes leads the team with 18.5 ppg, with Conley coming in second at 14.5 ppg.
• This is NSU's third straight loss to Union, bringing the overall series to 4-1 in the Bulldogs' favor.

 
 
UP NEXT:
 
The Sharks will play in their home opener this upcoming Thursday, Nov. 15, hosting Montevallo. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
 
 
SHARKS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
 
Follow along with live updates on Twitter by following @NSU_WBasketball.