EVANSVILLE, Ind. – All good things must come to an end, and on Wednesday, Nova Southeastern's historic postseason run unfortunately did just that, as the fourth-seeded Sharks were defeated by No. 5 seed Saint Anselm 91-81 in the Elite Eight. Mark Matthews shouldered the load for Nova Southeastern with 31 points and 13 rebounds, while David Dennis registered 14 points in his final collegiate ball game. However, the Hawks' three-point barrage, which included 11 triples in the first half, was too much to overcome, closing the final chapter on a special 29-4 season for head coach Jim Crutchfield and company.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Saint Anselm 91, Nova Southeastern 81
Records: Saint Anselm (26-5), Nova Southeastern (29-4)
Location: Ford Center | Evansville, Ind.
Get Social: Twitter - @NSU_MBasketball | Instagram - @NSU_MBasketball
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
1ST HALF | The Sharks shot 50 percent from the field and committed just three turnovers, yet still found themselves trailing 52-45 at the break in large part due to Saint Anselm's ridiculous 11-of-19 display from beyond the arc. A 2-of-7 shooting start put Nova Southeastern down 10-5 in the early moments. The deficit grew to seven until back-to-back buckets by Matthews, followed by an easy lay-in by Eddie Puisis, narrowed the gap to 18-17 at the 11:22 mark. Leading 23-19, Saint Anselm then ripped off a 9-2 run to capture its first double-digit cushion of the afternoon. The margin remained 11, but soon matched its largest of the half at 15 after two Saint Anselm three's on consecutive possessions. A Mikkel Kolstad jumper trimmed the deficit back to single digits before a Nick Smith three and a Dennis lay-in capped a 7-0 spurt down the stretch. To sum up the type of day it was for Saint Anselm, though, with the clock winding down, the Hawks' Tim Guers would bank in a three from near halfcourt to wrestle momentum right back and send his team into the locker with a seven-point advantage.

2ND HALF | After having some success late in the first half, Crutchfield stuck with a zone defense for much of the second, as the Sharks remained within six following a Matthews lay-in with 13:46 remaining. Any time Nova Southeastern appeared on the verge of making a run, though, the Hawks had an answer – particularly from deep. A Cody Ball three pushed Saint Anselm back ahead by a dozen, when one of Guer's six treys in the contest then extended the lead to 19 with 7:43 to play. The Sharks went 4:25 without a field goal, but climbed back to within nine still with nearly three minutes showing on the clock. A few empty possessions in final minutes erased any hopes of a comeback, however, as Saint Anselm held off the Sharks and will now advance to Thursday's Final Four.

UP NEXT:
Wednesday's contest marked the final career ball game for Nova Southeastern's four seniors - Dennis, Gibson, Pat Huffine, and Lukas Landgren. To stay up-to-date with the Sharks throughout the offseason, follow them on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball.