FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Three overtimes may have been needed against Caldwell a year ago, but that was hardly the case on Monday, as No. 6 Nova Southeastern controlled throughout en route to a 106-72 win at the Rick Case Arena. The Sharks led by as many as 38 points this time around, extending their program-best win streak to eight games in the process. Connor Ziniach paced all scorers with a season-high 26 points to go along with 10 rebounds and five steals, while Mark Matthews chipped in with 16 points on an efficient 8-of-10 from the floor.  

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Nova Southeastern 106, Caldwell 72
Records: Nova Southeastern (8-0), Caldwell (5-5)
Location: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Get Social: Twitter - @NSU_MBasketball | Instagram - @NSU_MBasketball

HOW IT HAPPENED:
1^st Half | The Nova Southeastern defense harassed Caldwell from the opening tip, turning the Cougars over on four of their first five possessions. The active start put the Sharks up 8-2 just minutes in before a drop off from David Dennis to Zinaich extended the early advantage to 17-5 at the 12:48 mark. Fresh off the bench, Lukas Landgren handed Nova Southeastern a 15-point cushion after drilling a three-pointer off a nice look from Matthews. That margin would soon grow to 20 with 8:12 to go following one of Nick Smith's three triples in the effort. An AJ Kittles trey trimmed the lead back to 12 with 3:34 remaining in the half, but would eventually prove to be as close as the Cougars would get the rest of the way.  
 
2^nd Half | After a buzzer-beating jumper by Dwayne Gibson sent them into the locker room up 57-38, the Sharks carried the late boost into the start of the second half by tallying 13 of the first 18 points to blow the game wide open. A Matthews bucket put Nova Southeastern in front 80-49 with a little over 13 minutes to play. Even after head coach Jim Crutchfield pulled the starters midway through the half, the points kept coming, as Pat Huffine and Mike Moore buried a pair of three's on consecutive possessions to expand the margin to 95-57 still with 6:47 left. A made basket from just inside the arc by Hampus Ahlin pushed the Sharks over the century mark for the sixth time already this season before the final horn would sound on another dominant performance at home for the nation's top offense.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Following Monday's victory, Nova Southeastern has now outscored its opponents by an average of 17.8 points per game in the first half.
• Since being inserted into the starting lineup, Zinaich has averaged 21.3 points per game on 62.5 percent shooting.
• The Sharks have forced their last two opponents into a combined 61 turnovers.
• Nova Southeastern owns six of the eight 100-point games recorded by Sunshine State Conference teams this season.

STATS OF THE NIGHT:

• Along with Zinaich, Dennis registered five steals in the win, raising his SSC-leading average to 3.6 per game.
• Matthews finished with a season-high seven assists, two more than his previous best of five against Embry-Riddle.

UP NEXT:
The Sharks will conclude the non-conference portion of their schedule at home this Wednesday against Bluefield State. For complete coverage of the noon tip-off, follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball or visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com.