FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Despite the Montevallo Falcons overcoming an 18-point deficit, the Nova Southeastern women's basketball team earned an 87-83 victory in their home opener on Thursday night in the Rick Case Arena.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
FINAL: W, 87-83
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern University Sharks (2-1), Montevallo Falcons (2-1)
LOCATION: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.   
FOLLOW US: @NSUSHARKS on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
1ST QUARTER | The Sharks were the first to strike as Hailey Conley drained her first of four three-pointers at the 9:22 mark. NSU continued to keep the Falcons at bay during their highest-scoring quarter, staying out by at least three points for the final three minutes of the frame. The Sharks pushed their lead out to eight (24-16) with a pair of made free throws by Katie Barnard and again at 26-18 with a layup by Conley, taking a four-point advantage (26-22) into the second.
 
2ND QUARTER | NSU kept the pressure on, starting the second quarter with a 7-0 run solely by junior guard Iva Ilic, giving the Sharks their first double-digit lead of the game at 33-22. A 30-second timeout was called by the Falcons, but it wasn't enough to stop Nova Southeastern jumped out to a 17-point advantage at the 4:33 mark with a shot from deep by Conley. A pair of made free throws by Hughes at the 1:18 mark closed the scoring for either team, and the Sharks went into the break ahead 49-35.
 
3RD QUARTER | Both the Sharks and the Falcons returned to the floor after halftime as different teams, as the visiting squad outscored NSU 25-17 to bring the deficit back down to single digits. A three-pointer by Conley gave NSU its largest lead of the game, 55-37, before the Falcons started to chip away at the Sharks' lead, going on a 10-4 run to close out the final 2:19 of the quarter. A layup by MU's Nautika Philpot represented the last bucket of the quarter, bringing NSU's lead down to six, 66-60, heading into the final frame.
 
4TH QUARTER | An 8-2 start to the quarter by MU in the first 3:10 of the quarter tied things up, 68-68, before a triple by Hughes gave NSU back the lead, which they would not relinquish for the rest of the game. A layup by Mikayla Thompson pushed the Sharks back out to a comfortable eight-point lead (82-74) at the 2:12 mark. For the remaining time, NSU's points came from only free throws by Maria Bardeeva, Hughes and Thompson, but they were enough to keep NSU on top, 87-83.
 
INSIDE THE STATS:
 

• Hughes had her third-consecutive outing double-digit scoring, tallying a 16 points after going 5-of-12 from the field and 4-of-6 from the line. She also added five board and three assists.
• Conley also joined her in double figures, posting 16 points of her own after shooting solid 6-of-10 shooting and 4-of-6 from deep.
• Thompson was the next highest scored with 14 points, shooting 5-of-6 from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe. She also added five rebounds and three assists.
• Ilic had 10 points to go along with five assists and three steals, both team-highs, while Bardeeva recorded 12 points.
• Katie Barnard pulled down a team-high six boards and a game-high three blocks.
• Jannifer Rodriguez proved reliable at the free throw line, connecting on 7-of-8 for her seven points.
• As a team, the Sharks were 26-of-31 (83.9 percent) from the line.

 
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
 

• Bardeeva, Ilic, Rodriguez and Thompson's points were all season-highs, while Rodriguez's were a career-high.
• Tonight's 31 free throw attempts were the most taken all season.
• Tonight's 87 points were the most scored by the Sharks so far this season.
• Tonight's meeting was the first between the Falcons and the Sharks.

 
 
UP NEXT:
 
The Sharks will take a week off to prepare for their annual Thanksgiving Classic, beginning on Friday, Nov. 23. NSU welcomes Alabama-Hunstville, No. 18 Virginia Union and Barry to the Shark Tank, and will square off against No. 18 Virginia Union on Friday at 2:00 p.m. and Alabama-Huntsville on Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
 
 
SHARKS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
 
Follow along with live updates on Twitter by following @NSU_WBasketball.