MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – Jordan Tully collected a team-high 28 points, while Iva Ilic knocked down a clutch three with nine seconds to play to outlast Daemen in a neutral site matchup, 77-74, at the Cesar Odio Thanksgiving Classic on Friday night. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:

SCORE: W, 77-74
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern University Sharks (2-3), Daemen College Wildcats (5-2)
LOCATION: Health & Sports Center (Cesar Odio Thanksgiving Classic) | Miami Shores, Fla.  
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HOW IT HAPPENED:

1ST QUARTER | Daemon won the tip and scored on their initial possession but the Sharks responded right back, as Jordan Tully backed down her defender to score the first points of the game for the Sharks. Hailey Conley picked up right where she left off from beyond the arc, notching her team-leading 15th three of the season, sparking a 5-0 run for NSU. With the Sharks down two, Tully finished a layup and completed the and-one for her fifth point of the quarter, followed by a tough left-handed hook shot by Makenna Drabick to give the Sharks a 11-10 edge, with 4:59 to play. After a three put Daemen up by six (18-12), with 1:39 to play, the Sharks responded with a mini 4-0 run to close the quarter strong. Five offensive rebounds led to nine second chance points for the Wildcats, who led the quarter for all but 41 seconds to put them up, 18-16, after 10 minutes of play.

2ND QUARTER | Tully once again got the ball rolling for the Sharks as she finished her third layup of the game following an offensive rebound. After picking up the assist on a three by Ilic, Tully was right back at it with back-to-back layups, including the and-one finish to tie the game up at 26-26 with 4:42 to play. Tully continued to stay hot, as an excellent dime from Claire McMahon set her up for an easy score under the basket giving the Sharks their first lead since the 6:10 mark of the first. The Sharks hit seven of their last eight shots in the second after back-to-back successful layups by Drabick put NSU up four, giving them their largest lead of the game at 39-35. In the final 2:45, NSU outscored Daemon 10-4, winning the quarter 24-19, giving NSU a 40-37 lead at the half. 

3RD QUARTER | Immediately coming out of halftime, the Sharks gained their largest lead up to this point after Conley's layup put NSU up by five, with 9:01 on the clock. A 7-0 run by the Wildcats put Daemen up 52-49 at 3:41 mark, but Conley would respond with her second triple of the game to tie it up back at 52-52. The Wildcats would explode for another long run (9-0), giving Daemen a 61-52 advantage. The Sharks forced three turnovers and held Daemen scoreless for the final 2:09, capped by a 6-0 run to close the quarter and trim the deficit to just three, trailing 61-58 going into the fourth. 

4TH QUARTER | NSU came out firing to begin the fourth mounting a 5-0 run to begin the quarter, regaining a two point lead at 63-61. NSU would exert the next 5:17 without scoring, before McMahon hit a layup to end the drought with 3:31 to play. McMahon would then bring it back to a three point game, 68-65, with 2:41 to play after her third made field goal of the game. NSU would hit four shots in a row, as Tully scored her 25th point of the night to tie the game up at 71-71, with only 1:15 to go. Tully would then come up with a huge block on defense with 0:38 to play, before Ilic hit a big time, clutch three-pointer, with nine seconds to play forcing a Wildcat timeout. With just seven seconds on the clock and the Sharks up three, NSU put the Daemen at the line trimming the lead to 74-73. Tully would grab the inbound and immediately be fouled hitting both free throws, putting the Sharks up 76-73 with three seconds to play. Both teams would split a pair from the line as the Sharks complete a late comeback by holding the Wildcats without a field goal for the final 6:01 to win it 77-74. 

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Tully had 28 points on an ultra-efficient 81 percent shooting (11-13), including hitting 6-of-7 from the line and one opportunistically timed block in the final minute of the game.
• Conley scored 19, leading the team again with three trifectas, to go along with two steals.
• McMahon had a team-high 10 rebounds and five assists, two steals and a block, as she finished three points away from a double-double.
• Ilic had the biggest basket of the game as the Croatian knocked down both attempts from three point range, including the go-ahead basket with seven seconds to play, finishing with six points.
• Maria Bardeeva made her presence known in limited action, finishing with a team-high three blocks.
• NSU out-shot Daemen 52 percent to 37 percent in the match, aided by a 62.5 percent (10-16) effort in the second period.
• The Sharks dominated the paint in this one, scoring 52 of the teams 77 points, ending with a +24 margin in that department. 
• NSU's bench also outscored Daemen's by a 16-4 margin, led by Drabick and Ilic combining for 12 points.
• Although the Sharks pulled out the victory, the Wildcats led for 22:46 in the game, compared to NSU's 11:44.

• The 28 points scored by Tully was a career-high as a Shark, as she now has scored double digits in all five games, including three with over 21 points. After averaging 11.2 points per game last season, the senior forward is now up to 20.2 points per game through five contests and now leads the SSC in scoring.
• Conley continued her solid play dropping 19 points in the victory, as she now has scored at least 16 points in three of the teams five games.
• For the second time this season McMahon pulled down 10 rebounds, now averaging seven per game.
• NSU has now shot over 52 percent in three of the teams first five games.
• The five blocks in the match for the Sharks marks a season high
• The Sharks have now won two of their last three games

UP NEXT: 
The Sharks will be back at it tomorrow afternoon taking on No. 10 Alaska Anchorage at 4:00 p.m. in their second game of the Cesar Odio Thanksgiving Classic. The Seawolves dropped the host Buccaneers 60-41 in the first game.

SHARKS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
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