FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Wednesday night is one Nova Southeastern's
Mark Matthews will remember for quite some time, as the redshirt senior turned in arguably the most impressive single-game performance in program history, leading the ninth-ranked Sharks past Palm Beach Atlantic by a final score of 103-88 at the Rick Case Arena. Matthews poured in a career-high 45 points on 21-of-25 from the field, setting the new program, single-game records for points and field goals made in the process, while also surpassing the 1,000-point mark just a season and a half into his notable NSU career. With the win, the Sharks have now reached triple digits nine times already this season, and move to within one game of the lead in the Sunshine State Conference standings.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: No. 9 Nova Southeastern 103, Palm Beach Atlantic 88
Records: No. 9 Nova Southeastern (12-2, 6-2 SSC), Palm Beach Atlantic (11-5, 4-4 SSC)
Location: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
1
st Half | Matthews set the tone for the night, drilling a midrange jumper on the opening possession of the ball game. A tough finish in traffic by
RJ Sunahara pushed the Sharks out to a 13-6 advantage, which later grew to 27-18 following a strong drive plus the foul by
Jake Maranville with 8:21 remaining in the half. The lead hit double digits for the first time thanks to a
Mikkel Kolstad transition three-pointer before Matthews capped a quick 7-0 spurt after converting an easy two on a feed from Kolstad. Still with 3:18 to play, and the shot clock winding down,
Eddie Puisis received a friendly bounce from beyond the arc to extend the margin to 40-25, matching NSU's largest lead of the half. The Sharks would shoot a collective 57.6 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes, but could thank Matthews and his 8-of-9 effort for much of that, as they entered the break ahead 46-32.
2
nd Half | As smooth of sailing as things seemed for the Sharks, PBA ran off 12 of the first 14 points of the second half to trim the margin to 48-44. The cushion remained at only four until Maranville connected from deep to make it a 57-50 contest. Still in front by seven, NSU gained some breathing room by ripping off eight unanswered points, including back-to-back three's by
Nick Smith midway through the half. Matthews later delivered a nifty, no-look, over-the-head pass to Sunahara for an old-fashioned, three-point play, keeping the Sharks on top 81-68. The margin dwindled to as little as five with over four minutes left. However, Matthews converted a three-point play of his own the next time down the floor, stretching the lead back out to eight all while hitting the monumental 1,000-point mark for his NSU career. From there, the Sharks coasted, sinking all 11 of their free throw attempts over the final 2:06 to secure the victory.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- Matthews' 45 points broke the previous NSU, single-game record set by Chris Page back on Feb. 13, 2016.
- Prior to Matthews' 21-field goal effort, teammate Connor Zinaich held the single-game record with 15 makes last season against Florida Southern.
- NSU has now beaten PBA in each of the past three meetings in the series.
- The Sharks led for the final 38:07 of Wednesday's ball game.
STATS OF THE NIGHT:
- Matthews was joined in double figures by Maranville (13), Puisis (13), Sunahara (12) and Smith (11).
- Sunahara tied a season high with six assists in the victory.
- Matthews and Smith both finished one rebound shy of a double-double, each registering a game-high with nine boards apiece.
- NSU controlled the glass, outrebounding PBA by a 37-25 margin.
UP NEXT:
NSU will finish off its three-game home stand this Saturday at 4 p.m. against Embry-Riddle. For complete coverage of the action, visit the
schedule page on NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball.
