MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – Nick Smith assumed the role as closer, tallying the final eight points for No. 8 Nova Southeastern – including four straight free throws in the last eight seconds – to secure a key 102-97 road victory at Barry on Wednesday. The junior registered 15 of his team-high 21 points in the second half, as the Sharks beat the Buccaneers for the fourth consecutive meeting, and in the process, kept a hold of the top spot in the Sunshine State Conference race.   

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: No. 8 Nova Southeastern 102, Barry 97
Records: No. 8 Nova Southeastern (14-2, 8-2 SSC), Barry (13-4, 7-3 SSC)
Location: Health & Sports Center | Miami Shores, Fla.
Get Social: Twitter - @NSU_MBasketball | Instagram - @NSU_MBasketball

HOW IT HAPPENED:
1^st Half | The Sharks faced an uphill battle from the opening tip, as Barry recorded the game's first seven points and led 12-7 at the initial media timeout. NSU would withstand the early surge, though, and pulled back even thanks to a three-pointer in transition by Mikkel Kolstad, who returned Wednesday after missing the previous ball game. Connor Zinaich connected on a face-up jumper to hand the Sharks their first lead of the night at 16-14 with 13:22 to play. Another Kolstad trey knotted the contest at 22-22 midway through the half when Lukas Speidel joined in on the action with a deep three of his own, helping NSU regain a narrow, three-point edge. Both sides traded buckets until the Sharks ran off seven straight makes, including a second Speidel three, opening up a 36-28 advantage. Yet, in command of the glass through the first 20 minutes, Barry managed to keep the margin at a minimum. The Bucs erased the eight-point deficit late in the half, climbing back in front 46-44 following an Evan Walshe bucket from beyond the arc. Mark Matthews quickly quieted the crowd the next time down the floor by converting an old-fashioned, three-point play. Still, a buzzer-beating lay-up sent the home team into the locker room with a slim 48-47 advantage.

2^nd Half | NSU remained down one a little over four minutes into the second half until exploding for a 12 -0 run in a span of only 2:02. Matt Weir sparked the spurt with a catch-and-shoot three off an inbounds pass before consecutive lay-ups by Matthews and Kolstad capped the stretch with the Sharks holding their largest lead of the contest at 71-60. Barry battled right back, however, with an 8-0 run and soon knotted the ball game back up at 78-78. NSU wouldn't flinch, though, as the Sharks climbed back on top after an Eddie Puisis trey that was soon followed by a RJ Sunahara three-point play. The margin remained three in favor of the Sharks when Smith doubled the cushion with a timely three from the top of the key with 5:07 left to play. Smith later added a second-chance score and a strong isolation finish to keep NSU ahead by seven down the stretch. Yet, consecutive turnovers aided a Barry 6-0 spurt in just a matter of 46 seconds to all the sudden narrow the gap to 98-97 with nine ticks showing on the clock. Forced to foul, the Bucs sent Smith to line, where the junior would calmly sink both attempts to stretch the advantage back to three. Barry would miss the front end of a 1-and-1 the next time down, leaving way for Smith to finally put the game on ice with two more freebies in the waning seconds.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Through the first half of the SSC slate, the Sharks have picked up road wins over Florida Southern, Barry and Saint Leo, who along with NSU, currently make up the Top-4 in the league standings.

STATS OF THE NIGHT:

• In addition to his 21 points, Smith added six assists to go along with a game-high four steals.
• Matthews flirted with a triple-double in the effort, finishing with 17 points, 10 boards and seven assists.
• The Sharks gladly welcomed Kolstad back into the rotation after the senior poured in 17 points off the bench, including 12 to lead all scorers in the first half.
• After being outrebounded 25-17 and outscored 10-5 on second-chance opportunities in the first half, NSU returned the favor in the second, owning a 21-17 edge on the glass and an 18-8 advantage in second-chance points.
• Off the bench, Kolstad, Puisis and Speidel combined for nine of NSU's 11 three-point field goals.

UP NEXT:
NSU will return home this Saturday, where it'll host the second annual South Florida Showdown in a matchup against Tampa. The Sharks knocked off the Spartans 81-77 in the season's first meeting back in late November. For complete coverage of the action, visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball.