MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern women's basketball team opened up its 2018-19 season with a come-from-behind 70-62 victory over the Lady Statesmen of Delta State University on Friday evening in its first game of the 2018 GSC/SSC Crossover Challenge.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
FINAL: W, 70-62
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern Sharks (1-0), Delta State Lady Statesmen (0-1)
LOCATION: Health & Sports Center | Miami Shores, Fla.  
FOLLOW US: @NSUSHARKS on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
1ST QUARTER | Down 8-3 two minutes into the first quarter, back-to-back three-pointers by Esabelle Levine and Alison Hughes and a layup by Maria Bardeeva gave the Sharks the lead, 11-8 at the 5:32 mark. A 9-3 run by the Lady Statesmen pushed DSU ahead, 17-13, before a layup by Hailey Conley at 2:46 brought NSU back within two. The two teams each tallied two more points apiece, as the first quarter ended with Delta State on top, 19-17.
 
2ND QUARTER | Delta State opened up the second quarter with an 8-3 run to grab their largest lead so far at 27-20. The Sharks responded with six unanswered points to come within one, 27-26, before back-to-back jumpers by the Lady Statesmen pushed their lead back out to five at 31-26. With three seconds left before halftime, a layup by Hughes, assisted by Conley, brought the deficit back down to two points, 31-28 in DSU's favor.  
 
3RD QUARTER | Once again, DSU returned to the floor aggressively, jumping out to a 12-point lead (45-33) at the 4:27 mark, taking advantage of a 14-5 run. Layups by Conley and Hughes brought the deficit back down to single digits, but Delta State was able to raise it back out to 12 (52-40) with 37 seconds left in the quarter. Going down to the buzzer, Conley sank her second trey of the game, bringing DSU's lead back down to nine (52-43) heading into the final frame.
 
4TH QUARTER | It took the Sharks less than three minutes to steal the lead from Delta State, as NSU exploded on a 10-0 run for a 53-52 edge. At the 2:52 mark, Hughes connected from outside the arc, giving Nova Southeastern an eight-point lead, 64-56. A three-pointer by DSU's Alondrea Rush cut the deficit to six with 1:22 remaining, but a layup and two good free throws by Katie Barnard sealed the victory for the Sharks.
 
INSIDE THE STATS:
 

• NSU had three players to tally double digits, as Conley led the way with her 20. Hughes followed closely behind with 19 after shooting 5-of-9 from deep. Conley also contributed three assists and pulled down four boards while Hughes had two rebounds. The each had two steals, as well.
• Levine posted 10 points with four rebounds and Barnard recorded eight points.
• Bardeeva, Megan Piggott and Mikayla Thompson also pulled down four rebounds.
• NSU out-rebounded the Lady Statesmen 29-22 and pulled down 12 offensive rebounds to their five.
• From players coming off the bench, NSU tallied 70 points.

 
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
 

• Conley's 20 points were just two short of her record 22 set on Feb. 21, 2018 at PBA.
• This is the fourth straight year NSU has won their first game of the season, including their third consecutive season opener victory over Delta State.
• With tonight's win, the Sharks remain undefeated in the overall series at 5-0.

 
UP NEXT:
 
The Sharks will play their second and final game of the GSC/SSC Crossover Challenge tomorrow afternoon against No. 4 Union at 4:00 p.m.
 
 
SHARKS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
 
Follow along with live updates on Twitter by following @NSU_WBasketball.