FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern women's basketball team bounced back from a pair of tough losses for an easy 66-52 victory over the Tampa Spartans on Saturday afternoon at the Rick Case Arena.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
FINAL: W, 66-52
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern University Sharks (8-7, 4-4 SSC), University of Tampa Spartans (10-5, 4-3 SSC)
LOCATION: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
FOLLOW US: @NSUSHARKS on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
1ST QUARTER | The Sharks came out firing on all cylinders, scoring the first five points of the game and never trailed, using a 11-2 run shortly thereafter, culminated by a Jordan Tully layup at 2:38 mark to take their first 10-point lead of the contest. Four different players combined to make each of their first four three-point attempts, as the defense forced turnovers on four of the last five Spartans possession before the media timeout at 3:36, and held Tampa without a field goal for the final five minutes of the opening period. As a team, the Sharks out-scored their opponent 6-1 off turnovers, 7-0 off the bench and 9-2 in second chance points en route to their 21-9 lead.
 
2ND QUARTER | The Sharks maintained their double-digit lead for much of the frame, going up by as many as 14 when Christen Prasse drove from the arc straight to the basket for a wide-open layup just 59 seconds in. Tampa briefly cut it into the deficit a few times, but never got it less than nine, as the Sharks pushed back each time and led by 14 once again with 1:54 left in the half before entering the locker room with a 34-21 lead.
 
3RD QUARTER | Alison Hughes's second of three three-pointers in the quarter gave the Sharks a new game-high 16-point lead, at 45-29, punctuating a 9-2 run. Her third of the period came with just 32 seconds left and ended a six-point Spartan streak, as the Sharks took a 13-point into the final frame, as well, this time by a 52-39 margin.
 
4TH QUARTER | Making four of their first five field goals in the fourth, the Sharks ran up another 11-2 run in the early parts of period, for a new largest lead, this time at 20 points. Despite missing their last field goal coming with 6:08 left and missing their final six shots of the game, they made five of six free throws down the stretch to keep the Spartans at bay.
 
INSIDE THE STATS:
 

• Alison Hughes recorded a new season-high with 23 points, with 15 of them coming on 4-of-6 from the field after halftime, while matching her season-high with five 3-pointers. She also set a new career high, and a new team high on the season, with six steals, the most by a Shark since Taylor Smith had six against Florida Southern on Dec. 2, 2017.
• The Sharks forced 16 turnovers, while matching their season-low of 8 of their own, out-scoring Tampa 19-8 in points off turnovers.
• The team's 13 steals total are also a game-high for this season.
• After three straight games of subpar free throw shooting, the Sharks returned to their early season ways, hitting 10 of their 12 attempts in the game.

 
UP NEXT:
 
The Sharks will complete their three-game homestand on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., hosting the Lynn Fighting Knights.
 
 
SHARKS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
 
Follow along with live updates on Twitter by following @NSU_WBasketball.