FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Mark Matthews led six players in double figures with a game-high 32 points, as No. 2 Nova Southeastern pulled away down the stretch en route to a 122-98 victory over Florida National on Homecoming Saturday night at the Rick Case Arena. The Sharks squandered a 13-point halftime advantage, and trailed by as many as eight near the midway mark of the second half, yet limited the Conquistadors to only a dozen points in the final 13:03 to pick up the win.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Nova Southeastern 122, Florida National 98
Records: Nova Southeastern (0-0), Florida National (3-4)
Location: The Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
1^st Half | Matthews had his way early and often Saturday, connecting on 15-of-21 from the field. Already up eight, the redshirt senior pushed the NSU's lead to double-digits following a finish at the rim with 14:55 to go in the first half. FNU trimmed the margin back to three until the Sharks ripped off a 10-1 run, capped by one of Lukas Speidel's five three-pointers in the effort. NSU remained comfortably in front thanks its 55.3 percent shooting in the opening 20 minutes. The advantage grew to as many as 15 thanks to a Nick Smith lay-up before Speidel beat the buzzer to send the Sharks into the locker room on top 68-55.   

2^nd Half | That 13-point cushion quickly evaporated after a sloppy start to the second half. Little resistance on the defensive end, coupled with five turnovers, allowed the Conquistadors to grab their first lead of the night on a Kenneth Santos trey at the 15:02 mark. Feeding off the energy, FNU soon extended the margin to 86-78. The lead didn't last long, though, Matt Weir buried a three to pull the Sharks back even with 10:11 still to play. FNU point guard Hirotaka Ohashi gave the Sharks fits for much of the ball game, but was forced to exit after splitting open his chin, allowing NSU to take advantage. Ohashi was off the floor for only 3:16, however, in that span the Sharks stretched an 88-88 contest into a 101-91 edge.     Three's by Weir and Eddie Pusis extended the margin to 111-95, and soon hit 20 thanks to an RJ Sunahara free throw. To the liking of the NSU faithful, Sunahara then polished off the Conquistadors with a monster, two-handed flush in the late minutes, as the Sharks collected the 24-point win.

UP NEXT:
NSU will officially open its regular season next Wednesday at 4 p.m. against College of Staten Island. For complete coverage of the action, follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball or visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com.