TAMPA, Fla. – Mark Matthews collected a game-high 24 points, while Nick Smith notched his second double-double of the season, as second-ranked Nova Southeastern outlasted Tampa on the road, 81-77, in its Sunshine State Conference opener on Saturday. With the victory, the Sharks improve to 3-0 overall, and have now beaten the Spartans in each of the past six meetings.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Nova Southeastern 81, Tampa 77
Records: Nova Southeastern (3-0, 1-0 SSC), Tampa (0-5, 0-1 SSC)
Location: Martinez Center | Tampa, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
1^st Half | The Sharks shot a blistering 63.3 percent in the opening half to build a seven-point lead, their largest of the night, at the break. After trailing by three midway through the half, Matt Weir fed Matthews for two to give NSU a slight 22-21 edge at the 9:43 mark. A Weir trey built the advantage to six, where it remained following a Lukas Speidel three-pointer just 1:03 later. Tampa narrowed the gap to one on multiple occasions when Smith capped a 6-0 spurt down the stretch with a lay-up to send NSU into the half in front 47-40.

2^nd Half | A Weir finish kept the seven-point lead intact three minutes into the second half until a pair of Jonathan Bryant free throws knotted the ball game up at 57-57. Two more Bryant freebies pushed Tampa ahead with 10:14 to play. Smith would respond with a three, though, leaving way for Mikkel Kolstad, whose three kept NSU on top by a deuce with 6:20 remaining. Six straight points by RJ Sunahara down the stretch finally gave the Sharks the lead for good before NSU iced the game at the line in the final moments.
 
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• NSU used just a seven-player rotation on Saturday, turning to both Eddie Puisis and Speidel off the bench.
• Prior to Saturday, the Sharks had averaged 126.5 points in each of the first two contests.
• The Sharks have yet to lose to Tampa under head coach Jim Crutchfield.

STATS OF THE NIGHT:

• Kolstad registered seven points and three assists in his season debut Saturday.
• Matthews has now recorded 24 points apiece in each of the Sharks' first three games.
• In addition to his team-high 10 rebounds, Smith also added a career-high three blocks in the effort.
• Weir and Sunahara tallied 14 and 11 points respectively to give NSU four players in double figures.

UP NEXT:
The Sharks will now have a week off before returning to the court following Thanksgiving break next Saturday against Clayton State. For complete coverage of the action, visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball.