LAKELAND, Fla. - The fourth-ranked Nova Southeastern Sharks Men's Basketball team began the 2022-23 season with a dominant, 101-81 victory over No. 24 Alabama-Huntsville in the Sharks first game at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic. Dallas Graziani recorded a double-double, with 20 points and 11 assists, in addition to a career-high six three-pointers, to lead the Sharks to the season opening win.  

INSIDE THE MATCHUP 

SCORE: No. 4 Nova Southeastern 101, No. 24 Alabama-Huntsville 81 

RECORDS: No. 4 Nova Southeastern 1-0, No. 24 Alabama-Huntsville 0-1 

LOCATION: Jenkins Field House | Lakeland, Fla.  

GET SOCIAL: Instagram & Twitter – NSU_MBasketball 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

First Half – Will Yoakum got the scoring started for the Sharks, knocking down a three-pointer to give NSU an early 3-2 lead. Mike Moore sealed a 9-2 run for the Sharks, spanning 2:30 of game action. Kobe Rodgers pushed the NSU advantage to 12-6, adding a three-pointer of his own. Moments later, Yoakum threw down a fastbreak dunk, off an assist from Dallas Graziani, giving the Sharks a 14-6 lead. The Chargers were able to cut the Nova Southeastern lead to 14-12, but Tomas Murphy halted the UAH momentum and started an 11-2 run by NSU. During the run, Murphy, Kobe Rodgers, Jonathan Pierre, Moore, and Jake Maranville all contributed points. With under eight minutes remaining in the first half, RJ Sunahara knocked down a three-pointer to put the Sharks ahead 31-21. Over a span of 61 seconds, Graziani hit three consecutive three-pointers for Nova Southeastern, extending the NSU advantage to 49-34. Graziani closed the half with his fifth three-point make, narrowly beating the buzzer, as Nova Southeastern went into the half leading 58-38. 

Second Half– The Sharks got the second half off to another strong start, as Murphy began the period by converting an and-one opportunity. Moments later, Sunahara finished off an and-one chance of his own, putting the Sharks ahead 64-41. UAH knocked down a pair of three-pointers but Yoakum responded with one of his own, maintaining the Sharks 20-point advantage. At the midway point of the second half, Maranville kept Nova Southeastern in front, 84-64, by knocking down a jumpshot. With just over five minutes left in the contest, Sunahara added a dunk, putting the Sharks ahead 96-66. Pierre put the Sharks over the 100-point mark for the first time on the season after he made a three-pointer. The Sharks closed out the 101-81 victory, moving to 1-0 on the season.  

STATS OF THE NIGHT 

• The 101 points by NSU is tied for the third most points in a SCB Hall of Fame Classic game 

• 37 Field Goals tied the record for most in a single-game 

• As a team, NSU recorded 25 assists, while Dallas Graziani totaled 11, both set single-game marks for the SCB Hall of Fame Classic.  

UPCOMING 

No. 4 Nova Southeastern takes on Dallas Baptist in the Sharks second game of the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic on Sunday, Nov. 6. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:15 p.m.