FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern battled back from a tough first-half deficit to visiting Saint Leo on Saturday at Rick Case Arena, but solid second half defense and smart play in the second half wasn't enough to push the Sharks past the Lions in the 82-72 loss.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
FINAL: L, 82-72
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern Sharks (10-9, 6-6 SSC), Saint Leo Lions (10-11, 6-7 SSC)
LOCATION: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
1ST QUARTER | The opening minutes of the game saw the teams trading scores, but back-to-back possessions with blocks from Alani Gallagher and Alex Button granted SLU the opportunity to create some separation near the end of the first quarter.Jordan Tully cut the lead to just seven with 21 seconds remaining, but the Lions were able to set their play and snuch in an Amanda Ulrich layup with three ticks to go for the 19-10 lead at the first break.
2ND QUARTER | Hailey Conley sunk a free throw to open the second quarter's scoring, but the Lions put down the next nine points without response, growing the lead out to 17 points just under three minutes into the period. The Sharks offense kicked back in, but the lead alternated away and back to 17 throughout. Back-to-back NSU scores trimmed the deficit to 12 near the midpoint, with a three from Esabelle Levine and a Layup for Conley. Coming down the stretch into half, Iva Ilic delivered three consecutive scores for the Sharks across the final 3:45 to keep the Lions from extending their advantage. SLU's 42-29 halftime advantage aided by 75-percent shooting and 11 points coming off NSU turnovers.
3RD QUARTER | Opening the third, Ilic picked up where she left off, dropping in two layups with an and-one to slice the deficit down to just eight points at 8:18 in the second half. However, the Lions answered three scores and a trio of free throws over the next three minutes, only interrupted by a Levine three – growing the lead out to 15. Again, the Sharks came charging back with the help of two more scores from Levine, running the SLU lead down to just seven. The final two scores of the period went to SLU for a 59-49 difference.
4TH QUARTER | A sluggish offensive start to the final period saw the margin stay at 10 points through the midpoint of the quarter – helped by NSU forcing Ulrich into three turnovers in five minutes. In the final three minutes, it was almost all Tully, as the Sharks took over at the free throw line – Tully shooting 5-for-6 on free throws with two layups. However, with four free throws and a trio of field goals, SLU kept NSU at a double-digit distance, with Tully's final layup bringing the game to its final margin at 82-72. The Sharks slowed the SLU offense in the second half at just 51.9 percent, also capitalizing on five steals to score 13 points off turnovers.
STATS OF THE NIGHT:
- Tully just missed a sixth consecutive 20-point game, ending the night with 18 points on 5-for-10 from the field and 8-of-11 from the line.
- Tully also grabbed seven rebounds to lead the team, collecting two blocks and two steals.
- Tying for the team lead, Ilic shot 7-for-13 with three three-pointers for her fourth game of at least 15 on the season.
- Levine made a career-high four three-pointers to put up double-digit scoring for the second time this season – hitting 5-for-12 and 4-for-9 from long range.
- Conley logged her 12th-consecutive double-figure scoring performance with 10 points, bolstered by a 5-for-6 performance at the line – setting a new career high for free throws.
- The Sharks shot 42.9 percent from the field, while Saint Leo went for 58.5 percent.
- The Lions won the rebound battle, topping the Sharks 33-25.
- Despite some struggles in the first half, the Sharks ended up with 12 total turnovers, while pushing the Lions into 16, recording eight steals.
- The Lions did half their work in the paint, putting up 40 points to the Sharks' 32 in the paint. NSU scored 30 of their points on layups.
UP NEXT:
The Sharks are back to work and on the road next week. Heading to Winter Park to face Rollins on Wednesday night. NSU will be away from the confines of Rick Case Arena for a full week, coming back to the Shark Tank on the 12th when they host Eckerd.
SHARKS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Follow along with live updates on Twitter by following @NSU_WBasketball.
