FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Keyed by a 22-0 run in the first half, No. 6 Nova Southeastern had little trouble with Saint Leo, as the Sharks extended their win streak to six with a 97-84 victory on Saturday at the Rick Case Arena. Eddie Puisis led the way with 20 points off the bench, while Nick Smith chipped in with 19 to go along with 18 more from Mark Matthews. The 'W' now marks the seventh consecutive for the Sharks in the series.  

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: No. 6 Nova Southeastern 97, Saint Leo 84
Records: No. 6 Nova Southeastern (16-2, 10-2 SSC), Saint Leo (13-8, 7-6 SSC)
Location: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
1^st Half | The Sharks opened the ball game a perfect 6-of-6 from the field to grab an early 15-5 advantage at the first media timeout. A floater in the lane by Matthews extended the margin to 28-15. Yet, following a Puisis three-pointer, Saint Leo ripped off a 13-2 run to narrow the gap to 33-30 with 8:07 to play in the half. As quickly as the Lions crept back into the contest, the Sharks answered with a wild, 22-0 run of their own that spanned 5:11 on the clock. A Puisis three out of a timeout jump-started the stretch before Mikkel Kolstad stole an inbounds pass and canned a wide open trey to push the lead back out to 45-30. Still rolling, Puisis connected from deep once again as NSU's cushion ballooned to 20 for the first time on the night when Matthews then followed with a three-point play to cap the surge. Saint Leo rattled off 11 of the next 13 points, but the Sharks still remained well in command heading into the locker room up 61-42.

2^nd Half | The offense cooled a bit in the second half, although the Sharks managed to keep a 17-point advantage at the 13:56 mark. Saint Leo trimmed the margin to a dozen just moments later, but consecutive buckets by Puisis ignited a 10-0 spurt to give the Sharks more breathing room. A skip pass ahead from Puisis to Smith for an easy two grew the lead to 20 once more before Smith eventually put the finishing touches on the win with a three-point play with just 2:38 to go.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Following the win, the Sharks now improve to 12-1 at home this season, and are now 44-7 overall at home under head coach Jim Crutchfield.
• Saturday marked the sixth time this season NSU has topped 60 points in the first half.
• The Sharks sit just a half game behind Florida Southern for first place in the Sunshine State Conference standings.

STATS OF THE NIGHT:

• The Sharks shot a blistering 66.7 percent from the floor in the opening 20 minutes, including 7-of-10 from beyond the arc.
• In addition to his 20 points, Puisis also matched a team high with six boards to go along with a game-high five steals.
• NSU controlled the inside with 58 points in the paint, while also winning the rebound battle by a margin of 37-32.

UP NEXT:
NSU will kick off its week away from home with a trip to Rollins next Wednesday. The Tars handed the Sharks one of their two losses on the season back in December. For complete coverage of the action, visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball.