FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Six players scored in double figures, as No. 4 Nova Southeastern shot a blistering 57.5 percent from the field en route to a 128-84 victory over Florida Tech on Saturday evening. Nick Smith and Mikkel Kolstad combined for 11 of the team's 19 three-point makes, leading the Sharks to their largest margin of victory in Sunshine State Conference play this season.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Nova Southeastern 128, Florida Tech 84
Records: Nova Southeastern (21-2, 15-2 SSC), Florida Tech (8-16, 2-14 SSC)
Location: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Get Social: Twitter - @NSU_MBasketball | Instagram - @NSU_MBasketball
HOW IT HAPPENED:
1ST HALF | Florida Tech limited Nova Southeastern to 82 points in the season's first meeting back in early January, yet surrendered 58 alone in the opening 20 minutes on Saturday. In his first action since Jan. 9, Connor Zinaich made his presence immediately felt, collecting an assist, a block and a lay-up just over a minute into the ball game, as the Sharks jumped out to a quick 6-0 advantage. A finish in traffic by Dwayne Gibson extended the margin to 31-22 midway through the half. The lead was trimmed to five at the 7:52 mark, but the Sharks responded by ripping off 13 unanswered points to take total control of the contest. Following back-to-back lay-ups by David Dennis, Mark Matthews drilled a jumper before a Kolstad lay-up and a Smith three all the sudden had Nova Southeastern out in front, 44-26, still with 4:49 to play. A beautiful skip pass by Gibson set Smith up for another trey just minutes later to stretch the cushion to 19. The lead reached 20 on a Smith lay-up until Zinaich two-hand flushed a feed from Matthews in the closing moments to send the Sharks into the locker room in command, up 58-35.
2ND HALF | After Florida Tech opened the half with a three on its first possession, Nova Southeastern rattled off nine straight in a span of 35 seconds, turning a Gibson block on the defensive end into a transition three by Kolstad to make it a 67-38 ball game. The lead hit 35 following a Puisis lay-up with 12:33 remaining. The Panthers would answer back with a Derek Murphy three the next time down the floor. However, the Sharks countered with three straight triples, one by Smith and two by Kolstad, before head coach Jim Crutchfield had seen enough, turning to his bench for the final 11 minutes of the contest.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- Nova Southeastern's 128 points are the most scored in program history in an SSC matchup.
- The Sharks hit the century mark still with 7:02 to go, marking the 11th time this season they've tallied 100-plus points in a game.
UP NEXT:
In a battle between the league's Top-2 teams, Nova Southeastern will travel to Boca Raton, Fla. on Wednesday to take on No. 16 Lynn at 7:30 p.m. The Sharks edged the Fighting Knights in a nail-biter, 87-85, the first time the two faced off back on Jan. 16. For complete coverage of the action, follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball or visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com.
