MELBOURNE, Fla. – Nova Southeastern played the role of spoiler on Saturday, connecting on 11 three-pointers in a lopsided 87-73 win over Florida Tech on its Senior Day in Melbourne, Fla. Five players scored in double-figures for the Sharks, including 18 points apiece from Hailey Conley and Alison Hughes, as head coach LeAnn Freeland-Curry's club officially secured its spot in next week's Sunshine State Conference Tournament.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
FINAL: W, 87-73
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern (13-13, 9-11 SSC), Florida Tech (11-15, 8-12 SSC)
LOCATION: Clemente Center | Melbourne, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
1ST QUARTER | Nova Southeastern didn't waste anytime finding its offensive rhythm in the opening quarter. After falling behind 2-0, the Sharks ripped off 12 unanswered points to climb in front quickly by double-digits. A pair of treys by Conley ignited the run before Hughes capped the 12-0 spurt with an old-fashioned three-point play at the rim. Florida Tech would respond with eight straight points of its own until Mary Hirt killed the momentum with yet another triple for the Sharks. Skyla Osceola soon joined in on the fun, canning Nova Southeastern's fifth three of the quarter, stretching its advantage to 22-16 at the end of one.

2ND QUARTER | The Sharks poured in the first five points of the second quarter to extend its lead back to double-digits, and used another Hughes three-point bucket to grab a 36-22 cushion with 3:18 to play. A Florida Tech three from the top of the key trimmed the margin back to 11, yet Nova Southeastern's hot shooting carried it to a comfortable 38-25 lead heading into the locker room.

3RD QUARTER | Despite the hefty the advantage, there was no let-up for the Sharks. Already in front 49-35, Osceola keyed an 11-2 run to blow the game wide open with 2:43 remaining in the quarter. Still not done, Taylor Smith dropped in two of her season-high 15 points, matching Nova Southeastern's largest advantage of the afternoon at 64-38.

4TH QUARTER | With the Sharks on cruise control, Florida Tech closed the gap to 76-67 with just over two minutes to go in the contest. Christen Prasse would take advantage of late fouls, though, and ice the ball game from the line down the stretch.

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Nova Southeastern assisted on 11 of its 15 first-half field goals.
• Conley has found her shooting stroke over the past two contests, making a combined 9-of-16 from beyond the arc following Saturday's 4-of-6 effort.
• Three players finished with a perfect field goal percentages in Saturday's win, including a 6-of-6 shooting performance by Smith.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• The Sharks' 57.1 percent shooting on the afternoon marked a new season-high.
• Today's win moves the overall series to 25-17 in Florida Tech's favor. 
• Today's victory also splits the season series with the Panthers, as FIT topped NSU 74-60 on Dec. 9.

UP NEXT
 
The Sharks will await their opponent for Wednesday's SSC Tournament quarterfinal matchup, set to be announced later Saturday night.
 
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