WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The undefeated Nova Southeastern men's basketball team has already proven it's pretty darn tough to beat. When Eddie Puisis shoots the way he did Wednesday night, it's nearly impossible. Paced by the sweet-shooting lefty's game-high 23 points on 7-of-11 from beyond the arc, the Sharks connected on a season-high 16 three-pointers en route to a wire-to-wire 96-74 victory to complete the regular season sweep of Palm Beach Atlantic. The win moves to the Sharks to 12-0 in Sunshine State Conference play, still three games up on second-place Barry.  

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: No. 2 Nova Southeastern 96, Palm Beach Atlantic 74
Records: No. 2 Nova Southeastern (17-0, 12-0 SSC), Palm Beach Atlantic (5-13, 5-7 SSC)
Location: Rubin Arena | West Palm Beach Atlantic, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
1^st Half | The offense certainly traveled on Wednesday, as the Sharks had little trouble putting the ball in the hoop during the opening 20 minutes. Paced by five alone from Puisis, NSU connected on a collective 10 three-pointers by five different players in the first half. SSC leading scorer Sekou Sylla bullied his way on the inside for a quick four points just 35 seconds into the ball game, creating space on the perimeter for guys like Puisis as well as Nick Smith, who drilled a triple from the top of the key to hand the Sharks an early 7-2 advantage. Puisis' first trey of the night pushed the lead to 12-4 at the first media timeout before Lukas Speidel connected on a corner three, forcing PBA to take timeout with NSU in front 17-8 with 13:10 remaining in the half. Stepping right off the bench, freshman Jonathan Pierre made his presence instantly felt with a three of his own to keep the nine-point cushion intact. Three's by Puisis on consecutive NSU possessions built the lead to a dozen at the midway mark. His fourth triple with 5:05 to go stretched the margin to 42-27 when Pierre followed up with his second trey to make it a 51-32 contest. Forcing 13 turnovers in the first half, the Sharks' Shane Hunter collected a steal with 1:57 to play, resulting in Puisis' fifth three-pointer of the opening frame. A steal and dunk by Hunter added to the advantage, as NSU headed into the locker room comfortably ahead 58-32.

2^nd Half | The 15-minute intermission didn't cool Puisis, either, as the senior drilled a three-pointer on NSU's opening possession of the second half. The Sharks would go scoreless, though, for a 3:39 stretch, allowing the Sailfish to rattle off 11 unanswered points until a driving lay-up by Smith thwarted the run with NSU still leading by a favorable 71-49 margin. Sylla matched his first half total with 10 more points in the second, scoring three straight buckets for the Sharks to help them maintain an 80-54 lead at the 8:44 mark. Mike Moore became the sixth Shark to make a three in the ball game, drilling two in the span of a minute to keep NSU up 88-60 just prior to the final media timeout. The margin never tightened to less than 20 points the entire half, as the Sharks shot an impressive 57 percent from the field in the effort.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• NSU has now won all six of its road games this season by an average of 13.2 points per game.
• The Sharks' 96 points marked the most in their six games since the start of the New Year.

STATS OF THE NIGHT:

• Five players scored in double figures for the Sharks: Puisis (23), Sylla (20), Pierre (14), Hunter (11) and RJ Sunahara (10).
• Pierre's 14 marked a season high for the freshman, and led the way for a combined 31-point performance for the NSU bench.
• With 20 points and 10 boards, Sylla earned his ninth double-double of the season.
• The national leader in assists, Smith finished with eight helpers without issuing a single turnover.

UP NEXT:
The Sharks will host Alumni Day as they square off against Eckerd this Saturday at 4 p.m. NSU upended the Tritons 79-60 in the season's first meeting back on Dec. 4. For complete coverage of the action, visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball.