DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – No. 14 Nova Southeastern battled all the way back from an 18-point deficit in the first half, yet was unable keep up with Embry-Riddle down the stretch en route to a 98-89 setback in Saturday's regular season finale. Mark Matthews, Eddie Puisis and Lukas Speidel tallied 17 points apiece in the effort, while Nick Smith chipped in with 16 of his own to go along with 13 from RJ Sunahara. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Embry-Riddle 98, No. 14 Nova Southeastern 89
Records: Embry-Riddle (19-9, 11-9 SSC), No. 14 Nova Southeastern (21-5, 15-5 SSC)
Location: ICI Center | Daytona Beach, Fla.
Get Social: Twitter - @NSU_MBasketball | Instagram - @NSU_MBasketball

HOW IT HAPPENED:
1^st Half | Offensive struggles led to an early 7-2 hole for the Sharks, as head coach Jim Crutchfield's team opened just 1-of-9 from the field. Embry Riddle's Nick Heard converted an old-fashioned, three-point play to keep the margin at seven before it reached double digits following a three-pointer by Romeo Crouch. An 11-0 run by the Eagles extended their advantage to 29-11 at the 8:56 mark until Smith was able to stop the bleeding with a lay-up a little over a minute later. The Sharks would gradually work their way back into the ball game, though, trimming the margin to 11 after Matthews' first two points of the night with 3:09 to play. With the momentum beginning to shift, the bench injected some serious life into the NSU offense, with Puisis and Speidel combining for 11 unanswered points over the span of just 1:10 to pull the Sharks back to within two. Embry-Riddle maintained a five-point edge in the final minute of the half, but another Speidel bucket in the late moments would eventually send NSU into the break trailing only 44-41.

2^nd Half | Crutchfield inserted both Puisis and Speidel into the starting lineup coming out of the locker room, and was instantly rewarded, as Speidel drilled a midrange jumper to knot the contest at 47-47 before a turnaround jumper by Matthews handed the Sharks their first lead of the game with 17:34 left. The Eagles responded, however, by ripping off the next eight points to reopen a seven-point cushion. NSU trailed just 62-61 after Matt Weir found Sunahara for a two-handed flush. The Sharks could never quite get over the hump, tough. Known for his physical presence inside, Embry-Riddle's Luka Majstorovic knocked down one his three triples on the night to keep the Eagles in front 72-65. Majstorovic would later miss a pair at the line, allowing a Smith runner to make it a one possession game again. Smith would whittle the three-point margin to one the next time down the floor. Yet, the Sharks would make just one more field goal in the final 4:46, as Embry-Riddle delivered the dagger with back-to-back treys to prevent the comeback.

STATS OF THE NIGHT:

• Embry-Riddle finished the ball game 16-of-33 from beyond the arc, compared to just 7-of-24 for the Sharks.

UP NEXT:
As the No. 2 seed, NSU will host Rollins next Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Sunshine State Conference Tournament quarterfinal round. The Sharks and Tars split both meetings during the regular season. For complete coverage of the action, visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball.