BOCA RATON, Fla. – Held to its lowest point total since Feb. 13, 2019, No. 4 Nova Southeastern suffered a 78-75 setback on the road at Lynn on Wednesday night. All five players scored in double figures for the Sharks, yet head coach Jim Crutchfield's club shot a season-low 37.7 percent from the field, dropping to 10-2 overall and 4-2 in the Sunshine State Conference.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Lynn 78, No. 4 Nova Southeastern 75
Records: Lynn (7-5, 3-3 SSC), No. 4 Nova Southeastern (10-2, 4-2 SSC)
Location: de Hoernle Sports & Cultural Center | Boca Raton, Fla.
Get Social: Twitter - @NSU_MBasketball | Instagram - @NSU_MBasketball

HOW IT HAPPENED:
1^st Half | Wednesday's ball game was a tale of two halves within the first half alone. Lynn tallied the first five points of the contest, and held a 14-11 edge at the first media timeout following a three-point make by point guard Brandon Bornelus. Despite entering the night converting just 31.9 percent from beyond the arc, Bornelus continued his hot start from deep, drilling two more three's to build the Lynn lead to 22-13. As a team, the Fighting Knights hit six of their first eight three-point attempts to stretch the margin to 28-17 at the 11:37 mark, which would eventually extend to as many as 15 with a little over seven minutes to play. However, the tides would soon turn. Sparked by the energy of RJ Sunahara, the Sharks would rip off six unanswered points to climb back to within single digits. A Nick Smith three in transition would soon narrow the gap to 38-35 before Mark Matthews hit a cutting Jake Maranville for a lay-up in the final minute to send the Sharks into the locker knotted up with the Fighting Knights at 40-40. Following the rough start, NSU forced Lynn into misses on eight of its final nine attempts from the floor to close the half, while the Sharks themselves connected on seven of their last 11 down the stretch.  

2^nd Half | Matthews went to work in the opening minutes of the second half, tallying 10 of the Sharks' first 12 points after the break. The redshirt senior's bucket on the first possession out of the locker room handed NSU its first lead since the 17:37 mark of the first half. An Eddie Puisis trey kept the Sharks in front 55-52 until the margin increased to five after Matt Weir connected from long range. Just as the Sharks appeared to be riding a wave of momentum, though, Lynn rattled off a 10-0 run to jump back on top 67-62 with 6:48 remaining. Out of the ensuing timeout, Matthews backed his defender under the basket to quickly make it a one-possession game once again. The three-point deficit soon dwindled to just one thanks to a timely Smith three from the left wing. Still trailing by one approaching two minutes to play, Maranville collected a steal under the NSU basket, resulting in an easy lay-up to help the Sharks regain a 72-71 edge. Lynn's Jordan Allen was hobbled on the play, and after being helped to the bench, was replaced by Jamison Evans. None other than Evans would come up with perhaps the biggest shot of the game the next time down the floor, drilling the go-ahead three with only 1:42 to go in the ball game. A deep three by Puisis allowed the Sharks to hang around in the final seconds, down 76-75. The margin grew to three after a pair of Lynn free throws. Still, the door was left open for NSU as the clock wound down, yet Smith's last-second heave from the wing drew back iron as the Fighting Knights held on for the upset.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Wednesday's loss to Lynn snapped the Sharks' previous three-game win streak in the series.
• NSU is now 3-2 this season when being held under 100 points.

STATS OF THE NIGHT:

• Matthews accounted for 10 of NSU's 29 made field goals, registering a team-high 22 points to go along with nine rebounds and three assists.
• Sunahara notched his third consecutive double-double, and fourth overall this season, finishing with 13 points and 11 boards in 36 minutes of action.

UP NEXT:
NSU will look to return to the win column this Saturday at home when it squares off against Florida Tech. For complete coverage of the action, visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball.