WINTER PARK, Fla. – Hitting the road for the first time in three weeks, the Nova Southeastern women's basketball team handed the host Rollins Tars its first Sunshine State Conference loss of the season with a 71-66 victory on Wednesday evening in the Harold & Ted Alfond Sports Center.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
FINAL: W, 71-66
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern University Sharks (7-5, 3-2 SSC) vs. Rollins College Tars (7-4, 4-1 SSC)
LOCATION: Harold & Ted Alfond Sports Center | Winter Park, Fla.   
FOLLOW US: @NSUSHARKS on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
1ST QUARTER | The Sharks quickly jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first 1:40 with layups by Claire McMahon and Hailey Conley. Rollins was able to close the gap to just one point with a bucket by Tianna Rosser at the 3:34 mark, but that would be the closest the Tars would get for the remainder of the game as NSU responded with a 14-3 run to close out the first frame with a 12-point lead (26-14).
 
2ND QUARTER | Similar to the first quarter, NSU started with a multi-point unanswered run, 5-0, to grab a 31-14 edge. After a jumper by RC's Rachel Lia, Nova Southeastern continued to put on the offensive pressure, taking an overwhelming 25-point lead at the 4:13 mark with a three-pointer by McMahon. This was the largest lead of the game until a little over three minutes later when Alison Hughes sunk a three for a 46-23 advantage with 29 seconds left until the break. With six seconds remaining, Rollins was able to make a layup to bring the score the 49-25 at halftime.
 
3RD QUARTER | After over three minutes of scoreless play for either team, Maria Bardeeva netted the first basket of the quarter at the 6:38 mark. Throughout the rest of the quarter, the Tars outscored the Sharks 19-7 to cut the deficit down to 14 points, 58-44, heading into the final quarter.
 
4TH QUARTER | At the 6:41 mark, the Tars were able to bring the deficit back down to single digits 68-54, before a three-point play by Bardeeva and a triple by Hughes pushed NSU back out by 14, 68-54. Rollins responded with a 9-0 run of their own to cut the Sharks' lead to just five points with 1:09 remaining in the contest. After a split pair of free throws by Mikayla Thompson, an and-one by RC's Yari Martinez-Toro made it a three-point game (69-66) with 26 seconds to go. Fouls came from the Tars, sending Hughes and McMahon to the line, and the Sharks finished on top, 71-66.
 
INSIDE THE STATS:
 

• McMahon's 17 points lead all Sharks, adding four rebounds.
• Hughes chipped in 14 points to go along with two assists and two steals while Bardeeva had 11 points and two boards.
• Christen Prasse led all players with seven assists, while also recording nine rebounds, seven points and three steals.
• Cheray Saunders tallied eight points with three assists and Hailey Conley also had seven points with five boards and two assists.

 
 
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
 

• Prasse's seven assists were not only a game high, but also her second straight game with seven assists. She is currently averaging 6.0 assists per game. This is also her second straight game with nine rebounds.
• This is McMahon's six game with double digit scoring.
• Tonight's win moves the overall series to 25-17 overall in favor of the Tars.

 
 
UP NEXT:
 
The Sharks will remain on the road this upcoming Saturday, Jan. 5, to take on the Florida Tech Panthers. Tipoff is set for 2:00 p.m.
 
 
SHARKS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
 
Follow along with live updates on Twitter by following @NSU_WBasketball.