FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Hailey Conley made a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to tie the game at the end of regulation, but the Nova Southeastern women's basketball team dropped a nail-biter to the Eckerd Tritons in overtime, 80-76, at the Rick Case Arena on Wednesday evening.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
FINAL: L, 80-76 (OT)
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern Sharks (6-5, 2-2 SSC), Eckerd Tritons (7-3, 3-1 SSC)
LOCATION: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
FOLLOW US: @NSUSHARKS on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
HOW IT HAPPENED:
1ST QUARTER | The Sharks got off to a slow start, with a pair of misses and turnovers on their first four possessions, while the Tritons made each of their first three field goals to take a 6-0 lead. The Sharks finally got on the board at the 7:35 mark, thanks to Maria Bardeeva, and Claire McMahon followed with a three-point play to get the Sharks within one, but that was as close as they would get. The Tritons use a 9-2 run to lead by as many as eight, but the Sharks were able to whittle it down to five (17-12) before the end of the period.
2ND QUARTER | Eckerd continued to expand their lead to begin the quarter and got it into double-digit territory on two separate occasions, first at the midway point and then again with just over two minutes remaining before halftime. Once again, the Sharks were able to narrow the margin slightly, this time to eight points, as the teams went to the locker rooms with the score at 36-28.
3RD QUARTER | The Sharks came out of the break hot, forcing six Eckerd turnovers – more than they had in the entire first half – out of their first nine possessions in a span of three minutes, before they even made their first field goal of the half. Meanwhile, the offense scored 11 points in that time, making four of seven field goals and three of four from the charity stripe. That 11-1 run flipped the screen and gave them their first lead of the game, at 39-37. Two more ties and lead changes followed, before an 8-0 run punctuated by an Annie Santucci 3-pointer gave the Sharks their largest lead of the game, at 50-45 and the game entered the final frame with the Sharks holding a 53-50 lead.
4TH QUARTER | The fourth quarter started with neither team scoring for nearly two minutes. The Sharks finally ended the drought with a pair of free throws from Conley and Jordan Tully, to push their lead out to 57-50. After three and a half minutes, the Tritons ended their streak of six straight missed field goals with a 3-pointer to cut the lead to four. They then scored seven in a row to regain the lead just inside the three-minute mark, the first of six lead changes over the next 90 seconds, as the teams matched one another bucket for bucket. After a turnover for each side, Eckerd changed the lead for the seventh time in the quarter on a jumper with 32 seconds left. The Sharks turned it over again on their ensuing possession, forcing them to resort to fouls to get the ball back. Trailing 71-68 with 10 seconds left, Conley, after looking for an opening, heaved up a prayer, and lo and behold, her prayer was answered, with the game heading to overtime.
OVERTIME | Each team made layups on their first possessions in the extra period, but five empty possessions, including three turnovers followed. Bardeeva, a career 13.8% 3-point shooter, broke the tie with her fifth career trey with 2:47 left. That would be their final points of the game, however, as they missed their final four field goals of the game, as well as two free throws, and the Tritons ended the game with a 7-0 run for the victory.
UP NEXT:
The Sharks won't have much time to dwell on the loss, with a quick turnaround before they travel up to Lakeland on Saturday to face the Florida Southern Moccasins at 5:30 p.m. in a rematch of the South Region Tournament championship, in which the Sharks emerged victorious, 84-63, and won their fourth regional title.
SHARKS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Follow along with live updates on Twitter by following @NSU_WBasketball.
