FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern women's basketball team fell to the No. 17 Florida Southern Moccasins by a score of 79-72 on Saturday afternoon at the Rick Case Arena in a tight Sunshine State Conference contest.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
FINAL: L, 72-79
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern University Sharks (6-5, 2-2 SSC), Florida Southern Moccasins (10-1, 3-0 SSC)
LOCATION: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
FOLLOW US: @NSUSHARKS on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
1ST QUARTER | The Sharks raced out to a 10-4 lead less than three minutes into the game, when Maria Bardeeva completed an and-one. The Mocs responded with an 8-0 run over the next 1:38 and a 17-3 stretch for the rest of the quarter, as they capitalized on nine of the Sharks 10 total turnovers for the period, converting them into 12 of their points, and allowed just one field goal during that span. The final turnover allowed Camille Giardina to race down the court for a buzzer-beater layup, ending the frame with a 21-13 Moccasin advantage.
 
2ND QUARTER | The second quarter was fast-paced and high-scoring for both teams. A pair of Florida Southern three-pointers prevented the Sharks from cutting into the lead by more than one possession until the Sharks went on an 8-0 run of their own in 1:45 to tie the game at 27 points apiece with a three-pointer by Alison Hughes at the 6:25 mark. Though that was their last made field goal of the half, the Sharks didn't let that slow down their scoring, making 10-of-12 free throws the rest of the way to keep pace, including leading by as many as three points with 1:17 remaining. The Mocs, however, made a pair of jumpers and three free throws, including another buzzer-beater, for a 7-0 run to turn the three-point Shark lead into a four-point halftime edge, 41-37.
 
3RD QUARTER | The Sharks opened the second half on a 9-0 stretch, giving them, at that point, a game-high five-point lead (46-41) at the 6:43 mark, then a 6-0 run for a new largest lead of seven points (52-45) less than two minutes later. The Moccasins, however, would give the game its fifth tie within 90 seconds, at the 3:13 mark. With the seventh tie at 56-all with 1:47 left, the Mocs once again scored the final seven points of the quarter, taking a 61-56 lead into the fourth quarter.
 
4TH QUARTER | The final frame saw two more ties and lead changes, for a total of nine of each, but none after the 7:37 mark, when Florida Southern hit a pair of free throws to take a one-point lead and held on for the rest of the game. Hughes hit her fourth three-pointer of the game to get back within one, but that was as close as the Sharks would get, as the Mocs made 8-of-10 at the charity stripe, including 5-of-6 in the final 20 seconds to ice it.
 
INSIDE THE STATS:
 

• Hughes recorded season highs in points, with 22, and free throws made, with six, in addition to shooting 4-of-5 from three-point range. It's the sixth time this season that the SSC's leader in three-pointers made at least four in a game.
• Bardeeva also scored a season-high with 13 points on 6-of-9 from the field.
• Jordan Tully, making her first appearance as a Shark since transferring from Stetson, didn't miss a beat, scoring 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting.
• Christen Prasse, also getting back into the swing of action, had a prototypical game for her, with six points, six rebounds and six assists. In three games, she's averaging 8.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.7 assists, while shooting 47.4% from the field and 50% from deep.
• The Sharks out-scored the Moccasins 17-6 in second-chance points, but the Mocs had a 27-20 edge in points off turnovers, including 12-4 in the first quarter.

 
UP NEXT:
 
The Sharks will get back out on the road on Wednesday when they travel up to Winter Park to take on the Rollins Tars at 5:30 p.m.
 
 
SHARKS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
 
Follow along with live updates on Twitter by following @NSU_WBasketball.