FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – In a ball game that featured six lead changes over the final 4:53, No. 14 Nova Southeastern rode the energy down the stretch on Senior Night en route to a nail-biting 91-87 win over Barry at the Rick Case Arena.
Eddie Puisis broke an 84-84 tie following a dunk with 1:24 remaining before providing the three-point dagger nearly a minute later to help the Sharks secure the season sweep over the Buccaneers and clinch the No. 2 seed in next week's Sunshine State Conference Tournament.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: No. 14 Nova Southeastern 91, Barry 87
Records: No. 14 Nova Southeastern (21-4, 15-4 SSC), Barry (18-8, 12-7 SSC)
Location: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Get Social: Twitter - @NSU_MBasketball | Instagram - @NSU_MBasketball
HOW IT HAPPENED:
1
st Half | Following the Senior Night festivities during pregame, the Sharks seemed perhaps a bit too amped up, as some early jitters allowed the Bucs to jump out to a quick 6-0 advantage. As part of a 7-0 spurt,
Mikkel Kolstad drilled a three-pointer to pull NSU back within one, yet Barry immediately responded with a 7-0 run of its own to push the margin back out to eight at 19-11. The Sharks would trim the deficit to just one on three separate occasions until a
Mark Matthews steal and finish finally handed NSU its first lead of the night with 6:01 to play in the half. Out of a timeout, a quick push ahead from
Nick Smith to
RJ Sunahara extended the edge to 38-35, which seconds later reached 40-35 following a steal and slam by
Shane Hunter. A Puisis trey with 1:13 left grew the lead to its largest of the half at 47-38 before both teams eventually entered the locker room with the Sharks in front 49-43.
2
nd Half | NSU opened the second half a perfect 3-for-3 from the field, stretching the margin to double-digits after Smith banked in a jumper from the left block. The momentum would come to a screeching halt, though, as NSU would make just one field goal over the next 8:04 to watch its 10-point lead turn into an eight-point deficit midway through the half. A Kolstad three from the top of the key would finally put an end to the drought before three straight makes by Sunahara, Smith and Matthews made it a one-point ball game once again at the 7:26 mark. As part of an 11-0 run, Smith helped NSU regain the lead with two freebies at the line when Sunahara added a three-point play the next time down the floor to hand the Sharks a 76-72 edge. Consecutive triples by Barry's Evan Walshe and Jake Kakar put the visitors back ahead by a bucket until four more lead changed knotted the contest at 84-84 with 2:02 to go. Following a defensive stop, Smith delivered a hand-off to Puisis at the foul line, who then elevated to the rim for the go-ahead dunk. Barry would split a pair at the line on the ensuing possession, closing the gap back to 86-85. An initial miss on the offensive end was ruled out-of-bounds still in favor of the Sharks. Head coach
Jim Crutchfield would take a timeout to settle his team, and was instantly rewarded, as Matthews found Puisis for a clutch three in front of the NSU bench to ultimately seal the victory.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- Following the win, the Sharks have now officially secured the No. 2 seed in the SSC Tournament, and will host a quarterfinal matchup next Tuesday against a to-be-determined opponent.
- NSU has now won five straight in the series over Barry.
- The Sharks entered Wednesday as the No. 2 team in the NCAA South Region rankings, while the Bucs were slotted at No. 9.
STATS OF THE NIGHT:
- Six players scored in double figures for NSU, led by Smith, who finished the night with 20 points, seven rebounds and a career-high 11 assists.
- Kolstad and Matthews recorded 18 and 14 points, respectively, on Senior Night.
- Sunahara notched his seventh double-double of the season following an 11-point, 12-rebound performance.
- Hunter and Puisis added 11 points apiece, combining for all 22 of NSU's bench points.
- The Sharks assisted on 25 of their 35 made field goals.
- Turnovers proved to play a key factor, as the Sharks forced Barry into 21 miscues while committing just 10.
UP NEXT:
NSU will wrap up the regular season on the road this Saturday at Embry-Riddle. The Sharks escaped with an 83-82 win in the season's first meeting with the Eagles back on Jan. 18. For complete coverage of the action, visit the
schedule page on NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball.
