FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Led by a season-high 18 points from freshman Jake Maranville, seven players scored in double figures, as No. 4 Nova Southeastern bounced back in a big way by beating Florida Tech 102-56 on Saturday evening at the Rick Case Arena. Just three days removed from a narrow defeat at rival Lynn, the Sharks appeared to have put Wednesday's result in the rearview mirror, using an extended 28-4 run to close the first half en route to their third consecutive victory over the Panthers. Maranville drilled six three-pointers in the effort, while Eddie Puisis and Connor Zinaich chipped in with 14 points apiece off the bench.  

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: No. 4 Nova Southeastern 102, Florida Tech 56
Records: No. 4 Nova Southeastern (11-2, 5-2 SSC), Florida Tech (8-8, 2-6 SSC)
Location: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
1^st Half | A handful of defensive lapses allowed Florida Tech to jump out to an early 11-7 edge. The lead remained in favor of the Panthers at 20-19 with 12:07 remaining in the first half. A Mark Matthews lay-up put the Sharks in front, though, moments later, and would soon prove to ignite an ensuing onslaught. Capped by an old-fashioned, three-point play, RJ Sunahara rattled off his own personal 7-0 spurt to stretch the advantage to 28-20 at the 9:05 mark. A corner three by Maranville stretched the margin to 13 before it reached 15 on the next possession on another Matthews bucket. The Panthers sat stuck on 22 points over a span of 6:39, finally ending the drought on a dunk with 2:10 to go in the half. Mikkel Kolstad would quickly respond, however, as a Zinaich pass from the middle of the Florida Tech defense resulted in a wide open look to send the Sharks into the locker room ahead 47-24.  

2^nd Half | NSU tallied the first three points of the second half, doubling up the Panthers with a comfortable 50-24 cushion. With the game well in command, Zinaich pushed the lead to 61-32 after receiving a friendly roll on an attempt from beyond the arc. The ball continued to bounce in favor off the Sharks, as Nick Smith later banked in a three, even drawing a smile from head coach Jim Crutchfield. Two straight Eddie Puisis triples extended the margin to 84-47 still with 7:27 left before a filthy crossover and step-back three by Maranville in the final two minutes put the finishing touches on the 46-point win.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• The 46-point win marks NSU's largest margin of victory in a Sunshine State Conference affair.
• As part of their 28-4 run, the Sharks limited the Panthers to just two field goals over the final 12:07 of the opening half.
• Seven players recorded at least two made field goals in the first half alone on Saturday.
• The Sharks have now beaten Florida Tech by an average of 36.6 points per game in the last three meetings.

STATS OF THE NIGHT:

• Carl Alenfall registered a career-high 11 assists in just 18 minutes of action off the bench.
• The Sharks shot 18-of-36 from deep on Saturday, including 12-of-20 in the second half.
• NSU won the battle of the benches by a wide 52-5 margin.
• The Sharks allowed only two points off turnovers, while finishing with 22 of their own.

UP NEXT:
NSU will continue its three-game home stint when Palm Beach Atlantic comes to town next Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. For complete coverage of the action, visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball.