BOCA RATON, Fla. – The 2018-19 season continues to be a historic one for No. 3 Nova Southeastern, as the Sharks rallied back from 14 points down midway through the second half to secure the program's first-ever share of the Sunshine State Conference regular season title with an 89-85 victory over No. 14 Lynn Wednesday night in Boca Raton, Fla. Head coach Jim Crutchfield's club trailed 66-52 with just 9:32 remaining, yet stayed afloat just long enough before eventually ripping off a 16-2 run over a span of 2:53 en route to becoming the first team to knock off the Fighting Knights on their home floor this season. Now 22-2 overall on the year, the Sharks have matched the program record for most wins in a single season.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Nova Southeastern 89, Lynn 85
Records: Nova Southeastern (22-2, 16-2 SSC), Lynn (20-4, 13-4 SSC)
Location: de Hoernle Sports & Cultural Center | Boca Raton, Fla.
Get Social: Twitter - @NSU_MBasketball | Instagram - @NSU_MBasketball
HOW IT HAPPENED:
1ST HALF | After connecting on eight three-pointers in the season's first meeting, Lynn's Darius Moore connected on a pair right out the gate to give the Knights instant momentum. Meanwhile, the Sharks opened just 1-of-7 from the floor, falling behind 13-4 at the first media timeout. Lynn remained in front 16-10 until David Dennis responded with a trey from the wing to cut the deficit to one possession. However, the Knights would rattle off 15 of the next 19 points to open up its largest lead of the half at 31-17 with 7:57 to play. Nova Southeastern settled back in, though, receiving back-to-back triples from Nick Smith as part of a 10-0 run to trim the margin back to 31-27. Still, the Sharks' defense had no answer for Jamal Palmer, as the Lynn guard ripped off 21 first-half points to give the Knights a 44-34 cushion entering the locker room.
2ND HALF | Lynn maintained its double-digit advantage following a Michael Baez jumper that made it a 52-42 ball game with 15:21 remaining. The Sharks managed to slice the lead in half thanks to buckets by Mikkel Kolstad and Mark Matthews, but soon watched the gap widen back out to 14 after the Knights countered with an 11-2 run. Eddie Puisis would finally stop the bleeding with five quick points in a matter of 16 seconds. However, another Baez jumper still kept Lynn comfortably in front, 70-61, nearing the eight-minute mark. Held scoreless in the opening half, and to just five points with under eight minutes to go, Kolstad breathed some much-needed life into the Sharks with two three's to pull them to within 74-72 still with five minutes left in regulation. Following the second make, Kolstad also came up with a steal on the defensive end before finding Dennis in transition for the game-tying lay-up. Two free throws and a finish off a backdoor cut by Kolstad soon extended the Nova Southeastern lead to four when Dennis continued the run with a fastbreak lay-up to all the sudden put the Sharks on top 80-74. Entering Wednesday, every Lynn game this month had gone down to the wire, and this was no different, as the Knights answered right back with five straight points to force a one-point contest with 2:14 on the clock. Still clinging to the one-point edge with the time closing in on a minute to play, Dwayne Gibson converted a one-hand put-back plus the foul to help Nova Southeastern reopen a four-point edge. The margin soon reached six on a finish at the rim by Kolstad, but it wasn't until two clutch free throws in the final seconds by Lukas Landgren finally iced the ball game, sending the NSU bench into elation.
INSIDE THE STATS:
- Matthews registered his 11th double-double of the season in the effort, finishing with 23 points and 10 boards, both team highs.
- Kolstad netted all 19 of his points in the second half.
- Dennis tallied 17 points in all 40 minutes, while Gibson recorded a team-high five assists.
- After shooting 8-of-9 in the first half, the Sharks limited Palmer to just 2-of-6 from the field in the final 20 minutes.
- NSU owned a 22-13 advantage on the glass in the second half.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- NSU's two wins over Lynn this season have now come by a combined six points.
UP NEXT:
The Sharks will look to clinch the SSC regular season title outright this Saturday when they travel to face Tampa at 4 p.m. NSU defeated the Spartans, 90-79, in the season's first meeting back on Jan. 12. For complete coverage of the action, follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball or visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com.
