FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – For the second time this season, Rollins gave the Nova Southeastern men's basketball team all it could handle. Like the first go-around, though, the Sharks made just enough plays down the stretch, prevailing with a 79-73 victory Saturday on Senior Night. With the win, NSU caps the regular season with a perfect 15-0 mark inside the Rick Case Arena.  

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: No. 1 Nova Southeastern 79, Rollins 73
Records: No. 1 Nova Southeastern (23-0, 18-0 SSC), Rollins (14-13, 9-10 SSC)
Location: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Get Social: Twitter - @NSU_MBasketball | Instagram - @NSU_MBasketball

HOW IT HAPPENED:
1^st Half | The start of the ball game had the looks of one that would be headed towards another 20-plus point victory for the Sharks, as NSU came out firing on all cylinders, tallying the first seven points on its way to grabbing a 13-4 lead following a feed from Eddie Puisis to Sekou Sylla for an easy bucket inside. Off the bench, Jonathan Pierre drilled a three-pointer to extend the margin to 18-6 before it reached 20-6 with 13:44 remaining in the half after a Pierre steal led to an alley-oop from the freshman to RJ Sunahara. The early surge would soon diminish, however, with the Sharks going the next 5:16 without scoring until a Sunahara free throw made it a 21-13 contest in favor of NSU. The offensive struggles wore on, allowing Rollins to eventually climb in front 29-25 following a 13-0 run over a span of 3:10. The Tars' Hutton Yenor registered two of his 15 first-half points to build the Rollins advantage to 34-27 at the 2:22 mark. NSU would capture a bit of late momentum, though, holding the Tars without a point the rest of the way to enter the locker room back even at 34-34.

2^nd Half | After an 0-for-3 effort from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes, Puisis connected from deep early in the second half to push the Sharks ahead 37-36. Another Puisis triple, this time coming via a kick-out pass by Sunahara, kept NSU in front by one. Yet, Rollins held steady, regaining a five-point edge with 13:15 left after a fastbreak lay-in by Cade Long. NSU's Mike Moore would provide a much-needed lift off the bench in the second half, and drilled his second trey within a stretch of 1:52 to knot the game back up at 55-55. A Shane Hunter slam handed NSU a 57-55 lead with 9:24 to play before the Sharks finally opened up a multi-possession advantage after a Sylla lay-in and a Sunahara dunk. NSU clung to a two-point edge with under a minute to go until Puisis finished off the glass to make it a 72-68 contest. From there, the Sharks earned a timely stop on the defensive end and managed to salt the game away at the foul line.  

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• The Sharks celebrated their two seniors in Puisis and Nick Smith prior to tip-off. Together, the two are the winningest players in program history.
• NSU's 79 points Saturday matched a season low.
• The Sharks remain the only undefeated time in either NCAA Division I, II or III.

STATS OF THE NIGHT:

• Sunahara led four NSU players in double figures with 23 points to go along with six rebounds, five assists and four steals.
• Sylla posted his 14^th double-double of the season, finishing with 18 points and 10 boards.
• NSU outrebounded Rollins by a 33-23 margin.
• Rollins' Yenor recorded a game-high 32 points on 12-of-17 from the floor.

UP NEXT:
NSU will travel up the road to take on Lynn next Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. The Sharks defeated the Fighting Knights 89-72 in the season's first meeting back on Jan. 5. For complete coverage of the action, visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball.