FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – In a season full of firsts, the third-ranked Nova Southeastern men's basketball team added another to the list Saturday. Behind a game-high 27 points from Connor Zinaich, and another 25 from Mark Mathews, the Sharks picked up their first SSC Tournament semifinal victory in program history by beating Barry, 88-77, in front of the home crowd at the Rick Case Arena. With the win, the Sharks will now host Florida Southern in the SSC Tournament final, set for Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET on ESPN3.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Nova Southeastern 88, Barry 77
Records: Nova Southeastern (26-2), Barry (18-11)
Location: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
1ST HALF | The Sharks struggled to find their shot early on, missing their first five attempts of the game. However, they then responded with an 8-1 spurt, making each of their next four in the process. A Nick Smith three put the Sharks ahead, 25-20, matching their largest lead of the game to that point. The Buccaneers quickly flipped the script, though, using a 10-0 run to capture their own five-point lead. The teams traded the next four points, before Eddie Puisis and Zinaich hit back-to-back treys for a one-point edge. The Bucs answered with a triple of their own, giving them what would prove to be their last lead of the game, as the Sharks proceeded to leave them in the dust by scoring the next 17 points. During the course of the scoreless stretch that spanned nearly seven minutes, the Sharks forced eight Barry turnovers on 13 possessions, while the Bucs also missed three field goals and a pair of front-end free throws on 1-and-1 opportunities. The Bucs cut the 15-point margin down to 10 before halftime, but it was still the Sharks who carried the momentum into the locker room, ending the half on a 23-8 run over the final nine and a half minutes.
 
2ND HALF | Barry trimmed the deficit into single-digit territory just once after halftime, on their first possession of the half, but the Sharks scored eight in a row and never looked back. Head coach Jim Crutchfield's team maintained plenty of space between them and their opponents, keeping the lead in the mid-to-upper teens for much of the ten minutes, before crossing the 20-point threshold for the first time on a lay-up by David Dennis with 5:31 left. Nova Southeastern extended the margin to as many as 23 on a pair at the charity stripe for Puisis a mere 50 seconds later. The Bucs pieced together a last-ditch effort down the stretch with a 12-0 run in just 1:24, but it was too little, too late, as Pat Huffine put the finishing touches on the victory in the final moments.
 
INSIDE THE STATS:

• In just his second game back from injuries that held him out of 11 of the last 12, Zinaich scored a game-high 27 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field and 7-for-7 at the line. He also matched his season-high of four three-pointers on eight attempts, which actually brought his three-point percentage down from 57.1% (12-21) to 55.2% (16-29).
• Matthews was right behind Zinaich with 25 points on 10-of-15 from the field. He made 10 field goals for the second game in a row and collected nine rebounds, as well.
• Puisis tallied 15 points off the bench, his fifth straight double-digit effort, and tied his career high with seven rebounds.
• Smith was the fourth Shark in double figures, with 10 points, including a pair of three-pointers.
• Senior starters, Dennis and Dwayne Gibson combined for just 10 points, but found plenty of other ways to contribute, as Dennis dished out a game-high seven assists and tallied four steals, while Gibson registered his second six-steal game in two weeks and accumulated five assists and four rebounds, as well.
• The Sharks shut out their opponents 15-0 off turnovers in the first half, as they forced 14 by the Bucs and committed just four themselves. The Bucs turned it over six more times after halftime, for a total of 20 in the game.
• The Sharks won the battle on the offensive boards, 12-7, resulting in a 17-5 edge in second chance points, and also outscored Barry 14-2 in fastbreak points.

 
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Matthews has set numerous single-season, NCAA-era program records for the Sharks this season, including points (560), field goals (236), total rebounds (266), and offensive rebounds (129).

 
UP NEXT:
The Sharks will square off against the Florida Southern on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. For complete coverage of the action, follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball or visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com.