ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Big time players make big time plays, and David Dennis did just that in the closing moments Wednesday, as the senior hit the game-winning bucket with just 12.5 seconds remaining to lift No. 4 Nova Southeastern past Eckerd, 72-70, in a pivotal Sunshine State Conference matchup in St. Petersburg, Fla. The Sharks squandered a 14-point halftime lead, and even trailed by as many as six with 6:26 to play, yet rose to the occasion in crunch time before securing one last stop on the final possession of the ball game. Dwayne Gibson carried Nova Southeastern offensively with 25 points and 13 rebounds, while Mark Matthews added 15 points to go along with 12 apiece from Dennis and Mikkel Kolstad.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Nova Southeastern 72, Eckerd 70
Records: Nova Southeastern (20-2, 14-2 SSC), Eckerd (17-6, 10-5 SSC)
Location: McArthur Center | St. Petersburg, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
1ST HALF | The league's top offense shot just 37 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes, but gained control thanks to its best defensive half of the season. The Sharks leaned on Matthews for their first six points of the contest before a feed from Gibson to Dennis extended the early lead to 11-6. Eddie Puisis' first touch off the bench went for three points to stretch the margin to 15-6 at the 12:22 mark. The Tritons were stuck on six points for a span of 3:27 until ending the drought on an old-fashioned, three-point play by Shaquille Harris to remain within eight. However, Gibson drained one his five treys of the ball game the next time down the floor, sparking an eventual 7-0 spurt that handed the Sharks their largest lead of the night at 24-9 with 8:38 to play. After Eckerd missed its first 10 three-point attempts, Harris connected from deep before Marquis Gilbert converted a lay-in to cut the margin back to single digits just 2:18 prior to halftime. An incredible sequence by Gibson nixed any sort of Eckerd momentum, though, as the Carmel, Ind. native hit a jumper, stole the ensuing inbounds pass, and then drilled a three from the corner to quickly push the advantage back to 32-18. Gibson wasn't done, either, and followed up the spectacular play with a deep three to eventually send the Sharks into the locker room on top, 37-23.

2ND HALF | After converting just 26.9 percent from the floor in the first half, it was hard to imagine shots wouldn't eventually begin to fall for Eckerd. The Tritons cashed in on their first three attempts of the second half, two on lay-ups by Gilbert. Seeing the ball go through the hole ignited the Tritons' guard, too, as Gilbert would go on to rip off eight points in a row at one point, and 14 over a 6:31 stretch to pull Eckerd even at 55-55 with 8:57 left in regulation. As Gilbert took over, the Sharks went 3:17 without a single point, and all the sudden found themselves in a 61-55 hole with momentum in complete favor of the Tritons. As he did for much of the night, though, Gibson rallied the troops with a timely triple followed by a nifty finish plus the foul to tie the contest right back up in a matter of seconds. Trailing by four, Gibson converted a huge putback to make it a one-possession game, and after making just 2 of his first 12 shot attempts, Kolstad delivered with back-to-back buckets to help the Sharks regain a three-point edge with only 1:27 showing on the clock. Still, Nova Southeastern was unable to completely put Eckerd away, as leading scorer Drushaun McLaurn cleaned up a miss and knotted the score at 70-70 with 38 seconds remaining. Opting to go without a timeout, head coach Jim Crutchfield left the offense in the hands of Dennis, who with the shot clock winding down, drove across the paint and finished a tough floater off the glass to put Nova Southeastern back on top with 12.5 seconds to play. The hero for Eckerd the first time both clubs met, Myron Hagins earned an open look from beyond the arc on the final possession. This time, however, the shot drew iron as the buzzer sounded, securing the thrilling victory for the Sharks.

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Puisis accounted for all eight points for the Sharks off the bench, finishing 3-of-6 from the field in 20 minutes of action.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Gibson has enjoyed playing in the McArthur Center the past two years, now averaging 25.5 points on 11-of-21 shooting from deep in the Sharks' most recent trips to Eckerd.

​​​UP NEXT:
The Sharks will look to continue their winning ways this Saturday when they welcome Florida Tech to the Rick Case Arena. NSU knocked off the Panthers, 82-62, in the season's first meeting back on Jan. 5. For complete coverage of the action, follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball or visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com.