FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Defensive-minded enthusiasts may have cringed, but Saturday night was certainly fun to watch, as Nova Southeastern scored and then scored some more on its way to a program-record 133 points in a 27-point blowout victory over Florida National. Mark Matthews led seven players in double-figures with a monster 27-point, 15-rebound effort in just 22 minutes, while David Dennis filled up the stat sheet with 25 points to go along with 12 boards and seven assists.  

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Nova Southeastern 133, Florida National 106
Records: Nova Southeastern (2-0), Florida National (4-6)
Location: The Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
1^st Half | The Nova Southeastern offense was nearly unstoppable all night, but especially in the first half, when it racked up a whopping 78 points on 53.7 percent from the floor. The Sharks needed just 47 seconds to jump out to a quick 7-0 lead following a lay-up by Dwayne Gibson. Florida National remained within a pair at the 15:32 mark until the wheels gradually fell off for the Conquistadors. A dish from Dennis to Matthews stretched the cushion to double-digits midway through the half before Nova Southeastern ripped off 13 unanswered to take full control in front 50-27. Even as head coach Jim Crutchfield turned deep into his bench, the buckets kept falling, as Felipe Souza converted a baby hook in the lane to push the margin above 30 with 3:50 to play. Keyed by 28 points off turnovers in the first half alone, the Sharks eventually headed into the locker in command up 78-44.  

2^nd Half | The lead reached its largest of the night (86-48) in the early moments of the second half following two of Nick Smith's 11 points. From there, the Sharks went on cruise control, topping the 100-point plateau still with 11:58 remaining.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• A Mike Moore three-pointer with 4:30 left in the game set the new program-record for points, surpassing the previous mark of 122 put up against NYIT on Dec. 11, 2017.
• In addition to setting the new program-record for points, the Sharks also set the new program mark for field goals made (50) and rebounds (61) in a game.
• Moore, Hampus Ahlin and Lukas Speidel each recorded their first points in an NSU uniform on Saturday, combining for 29 points off the bench.
• In its most recent meeting with Florida National last November, Nova Southeastern also had seven players reach double-figures in a 116-92 win.
• The Sharks have reached the 100-point total in each of their first two games after doing so on five separate occasions in 2017-18.
• Spanning two games, Nova Southeastern has now led for the last 53:59 of action.

 STATS OF THE NIGHT:

• Of his game-high 15 rebounds, Matthews pulled down 12 on the offensive glass, giving him 19 offensive boards through only two games.
• Dennis' 12 rebounds were a new career-best as a Shark. The senior also added three blocks and three steals in the effort.
• Speidel was sharp in his collegiate debut, connecting on 4-of-5 from the field and 2-of-2 from the the charity stripe. The freshman also added three rebounds in his nine minutes.
• After forcing 26 turnovers in the season opener, Nova Southeastern followed up the performance with another 28 on Saturday.
• The Sharks held a 61-42 advantage on the boards to go along with a favorable 19-5 margin in the steals category.

UP NEXT:
NSU will return to action following the Thanksgiving break next Saturday at 4 p.m. against St. Augustine's. For complete coverage of the action, follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball or visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com.