FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – In a battle of radically different styles between two NCAA Division II South Region Tournament first-timers, it was offense that won out at the Rick Case Arena on Saturday evening, as Nova Southeastern shook off a slow start before wearing out No. 8 seed Miles for an eventual 80-66 win in the opening round. The Sharks relied on their full-court defense and fast-paced offense in the victory, adding yet more accomplishments to the long list of firsts that the team has already achieved this season - first NCAA Tournament appearance and win.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Nova Southeastern 80, Miles 66
Records: Nova Southeastern (27-3), Miles (21-9)
Location: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
1ST HALF | The Sharks were in control early on, with the Golden Bears making just one of their first 11 field goal attempts, while the Sharks built up a 9-2 lead nearly seven minutes in. After a pair of Miles lay-ups, the Sharks then used an 8-0 run to take their first double-digit lead, 17-6, into the under-eight media timeout. However, Miles then scored an uncharacteristic 14 straight points over the next two and a half minutes to take a 20-17 lead, part of a streak of seven consecutive made field goals. Five straight points from David Dennis gave the lead back to the Sharks, and the final five minutes of the half went back-and-forth, seeing four ties and five lead changes, with neither team leading by more than two points. A Mikkel Kolstad three-pointer, one of just two by either team in the half, represented the final lead change, a one-point advantage (31-30) that the Sharks carried into the locker room.
 
2ND HALF | The Golden Bears scored the first five points out of halftime to grab what would prove to be their largest lead of the game (35-31), but it seemed to stir something within the Sharks, who scored the next eight in less than two minutes and never looked back. The run would extend first to 15-2 (46-37) before the under-12 media timeout, then to 27-5 (58-40) just before the halfway point of the period after another 12 in a row in less than two minutes. Nova Southeastern led by 20 for the first time with 9:34 remaining, and were up by as many as 23, after Kolstad hit his fourth three-pointer of the half right before the eight-minute mark. Miles ended the game on a 12-5 run over the last 5:18, but it was too little, too late, as the margin never fell back into single-digit territory from 11:32 on, when a pair of Eddie Puisis free throws put the game out of reach for good.
 
INSIDE THE STATS:

• Connor Zinaich tallied 25 or more points for the second time in four games since returning from injury, and his fifth overall in 15 games. He shot 9-of-16 from the field and 6-for-8 at the charity stripe, while also collecting nine boards, two blocks and three steals.
• Kolstad returned to his DII-leading, three-point shooting form after making just two of 12 attempts in five games entering Saturday. He was 5-for-6 in the game, including a perfect 4-for-4 in the second half, scoring 12 of his 16 points in just nine minutes after halftime.
• Dennis filled up the stat sheet once again, tallying 14 points, including 7-of-8 at the line, four rebounds, eight assists and five steals.
• Five different players recorded multiple steals in the game to make up the team's total of 16. Puisis and Nick Smith collected three each, while Dwayne Gibson recorded two, in addition to Zinaich and Dennis. Gibson also tallied two blocks as well.
• The Sharks forced 26 turnovers in the game, 14 of which came in the first half, but only resulted in a 14-12 Sharks advantage in points off turnovers. The 12 Miles turnovers after halftime, turned into 20 Sharks points. 10 of those 12 second-half turnovers came during the course of the Sharks 27-5 run, which lasted a total of nearly eight minutes of action.
• The Sharks made the only two three-pointers by either side in the first half, but on nine attempts. The Golden Bears, meanwhile, were 0-for-8.
• After struggling offensively overall prior to halftime, shooting just 33 percent, the Sharks improved to 53 percent after the break.

 
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Prior to the game, the most points that Miles had allowed all season was 72 on two occasions. The Sharks surpassed that mark on Dennis's three-pointer with 6:09 still left in the contest.

 
UP NEXT:
The Sharks advance to the regional semifinals, facing off against West Alabama at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday. The Tigers knocked off Valdosta State, 95-87, in the game following the Sharks, reaching a season-high in points to earn their first NCAA Tournament win since 1982.