SAINT LEO, Fla. – No. 9 Nova Southeastern received Saint Leo's best shot Saturday night, yet hung tough down the stretch to escape with a 91-89 win to run its record to 6-0 on the season. The Sharks led by as many as 18 in the second half until the Lions mounted a furious comeback to pull all the way back to within one. Head coach Jim Crutchfield's club had just enough answers, though, as Nick Smith tallied the team's final five points to keep the Sharks' perfect record intact.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Nova Southeastern 91, Saint Leo 89
Records: Nova Southeastern (6-0, 3-0 SSC), Saint Leo (3-6, 1-2 SSC)
Location: Marion Bowman Activities Center | Saint Leo, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
1^st Half | As it has done for much of the season, Nova Southeastern jumped out to a strong start Saturday night. The Sharks connected on six of their first nine shot attempts from the field before Dwayne Gibson buried one of his three treys in the effort to give Nova Southeastern a 22-15 edge. Point guard David Dennis finished with 15 points in the ball game, but needed less than 10 minutes to collect 11 of them, as the lefty drained a corner three to stretch the Sharks' cushion to 30-21 at the midway point of the opening half. Eventually proving to be the theme of the night, Saint Leo remained within striking distance, down just 33-30, following a made lay-up by Junior Searcy. After a quick timeout, though, called by Crutchfield, Gibson drilled another three-pointer to swing the momentum back in favor of the Sharks. Nova Southeastern gradually imposed its will on the Lions as the half wore on, and reopened a nine-point lead on a two-handed slam in transition by Connor Zinaich. The lead would soon hit double-digits, and reach as many as 14 in the closing seconds, after another two-handed flush by Zinaich sent the Sharks into the locker room in front 52-38. 
 
2^nd Half | Well in command, Nova Southeastern appeared as if it coast in the second half after a fast-break lay-up by Zinaich pushed the Sharks ahead 64-46 at the 14:57 mark. However, the Sharks would go scoreless for a 3:04 span, while a pair of triples helped the Lions storm back to within 72-66. Just a five-point contest with 7:41 to go, Smith silenced the crowd with a timely three from the top of the key. Yet, Saint Leo answered right back, as Yalen Reed ripped off a personal 7-0 run to make it a 76-75 ball game still with 6:16 left. Nova Southeastern eventually settled back in and managed to stretch the margin back out to eight thanks to a nifty finish by Zinaich. The door would never shut, though, with Saint Leo using a pair of old-fashioned, three-point plays to trail by just a bucket with under 10 seconds showing on the clock. After Smith split a pair at the line to put the Sharks up by three, the Lions quickly pushed the ball up the court to Isaiah Hill with the time winding down. Hill would make what appeared to be the game-tying three. A heads-up foul on the floor by Dennis, though, before the shot would erase the basket, sending Saint Leo to the line with only 0.6 seconds left. Hill would make the first, but the intentional miss on the second attempt was slapped out by the Sharks, finally securing the nail-biting victory.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Prior to Saturday, the Sharks' closest margin of victory had been nine points in the season opener against Claflin.
• The Sharks have now won the last four meetings against Saint Leo. 
• Following the victory, Nova Southeastern becomes the first team to three wins in Sunshine State Conference play.

STATS OF THE NIGHT:

• All five Nova Southeastern starters scored in double-figures, led by a game-high 23 points from Zinaich.

 

UP NEXT:
Nova Southeastern will return to the Rick Case Arena next Thursday for the inaugural South Florida Showdown in a matchup with St. Thomas (Fla.). For complete coverage of the action, follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball or visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com.