WINTER PARK, Fla. – Absent for the season's first meeting with Rollins back on Dec. 14, No. 5 Nova Southeastern was certainly happy to have RJ Sunahara back in the lineup this time around, as the redshirt freshman helped the Sharks avenge their previous loss by beating the Tars 89-85 on Wednesday night. Sunahara finished the contest with a game-high 25 points on 12-of-15 shooting, while Mikkel Kolstad and Mark Matthews chipped in with 18 apiece to keep head coach Jim Crutchfield's club just a half game out of first in the Sunshine State Conference race.   

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: No. 5 Nova Southeastern 89, Rollins 85
Records: No. 5 Nova Southeastern (17-2, 11-2 SSC), Rollins (11-10, 5-8 SSC)
Location: Harold & Ted Alfond Sports Center | Winter Park, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
1^st Half | Neither side created much separation for the entire ball game, let alone in the first half. Rollins grabbed a slim 13-8 advantage with 14:32 to play until Eddie Puisis drilled his second three-point bucket to pull NSU back within two. A Sunahara dunk and a pair of Nick Smith free throws kept the Sharks down just one, yet the Tars would follow with a quick 6-0 spurt to open up their largest lead of the night at 26-19. A Kolstad trey eventually stopped the bleeding before NSU finally was able to get out and run a bit, ripping off six unanswered in a span of only 31 seconds to climb in front 31-30 at the 8:05 mark. After Rollins drew back even at 33-33, neither side led by more than two the rest of the half. Back-to-back lay-ups, though, by Sunahara in the final 1:35 would buck that trend, as the Sharks entered the locker room ahead 43-39.  

2^nd Half | After closing the first half with the final four points, Sunahara collected the first four of the second half to stretch NSU's cushion to 47-39. Just when the Sharks appeared to be gathering momentum, however, Rollins connected on five straight field to regain a 53-51 edge with 14:53 remaining. Still trailing by two moments later, NSU turned to Kolstad, who drained three triples in a matter of 1:39 to put the Sharks back on top 64-59. A Matthews midrange jumper and a Sunahara free throw furthered the margin to 69-61, yet a highlight reel-alley-oop narrowed the gap to only three still with over four minutes to go. Every time the Sharks needed a bucket down the stretch, though, they found an answer. A tough scoop shot by Matthews kept the Sharks up 75-70 before timely threes by Puisis and then Smith countered crucial makes by Rollins on the other end. The Tars would close to within two on a number of occasions in the final minute, but Kolstad and Matthews provided the senior leadership by going 8-of-8 at the line to prevent any chance of an upset.

UP NEXT:
NSU will attempt to extend its win streak to eight this Saturday when it travels to St. Petersburg, Fla. to take on Eckerd. The Sharks defeated the Tritons in the season's first meeting by a final score of 100-82 back on Jan. 2. For complete coverage of the action, visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball.