MELBOURNE, Fla. – No. 2 Nova Southeastern needed about 10 minutes to find its rhythm, but boy, once it did, the Sharks put on a clinic, rolling to an eventual 115-58 road victory Saturday evening at Florida Tech. Led by a game-high 25 points from RJ Sunahara, six players scored in double figures for NSU as the Sharks closed the first half on a 14-0 run before bursting the flood gates wide open over the final 20 minutes. With the 'W', NSU now moves to 20-0 overall and 15-0 in Sunshine State Conference play, marking the third straight 20-plus win season for the Sharks.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: No. 2 Nova Southeastern 115, Florida Tech 58
Records: No. 2 Nova Southeastern (20-0, 15-0 SSC), Florida Tech (9-11, 3-12 SSC)
Location: Charles and Ruth Clemente Center | Melbourne, Fla.
Get Social: Twitter - @NSU_MBasketball | Instagram - @NSU_MBasketball

HOW IT HAPPENED:
1^st Half | NSU started sluggishly, failing to connect on its first made field goal until nearly four minutes in when Nick Smith drilled a midrange jumper to pull the Sharks to within one at 8-7. Meanwhile, four of Florida Tech's first five makes came from beyond the arc, allowing the Panthers to grab a slight 14-11 edge at the 14:06 mark. NSU would go on to open just 4-of-15 from the floor, and trailed 18-13, before five quick points by Eddie Puisis seemed to spark the Sharks a bit. Down 22-21, NSU rattled off eight unanswered points in a matter of 1:06 to pull in front by seven before a drive and kick from Sekou Sylla to Jonathan Pierre for three stretched the margin to double digits for the first time with 6:05 remaining in the half. A Puisis stepback jumper from just inside the arc kept the lead at 10 when Mike Moore buried a jumper from the corner to make it a 40-28 ball game. After starting slow, the Sharks held Florida Tech to just 6 points over the final 9:34, using three's by Puisis, Sunahara and Smith down the stretch to enter the locker room on a 14-0 run and with a commanding 50-28 cushion.

2^nd Half | The second half proved to be much of the same, as a pocket pass from Smith to Sunahara resulted in an easy finish at the rim before a steal and lay-in by Sylla extended the advantage to 56-30 with 17:55 left. Sylla started to rack up the buckets, accounting for 12 points in the first 6:39 of the second half to build the lead to 68-38. Sunahara's second triple of the night ran the margin to 36, as the contest was all but decided still with 12 minutes to go. The NSU bench would go on to register a combined 35 points, with all nine active players tallying at least 10 minutes on the floor.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• In two wins over Florida Tech this season, the Sharks outscored the Panthers by an average of 46.5 points per game.
• NSU holds a 3.5 game lead in the SSC standings with just five games to play.
• The Sharks have now hit triple digits seven times this season.

STATS OF THE NIGHT:

• NSU turned 29 Florida Tech turnovers into 42 points.
• The Sharks dominated inside, notching 56 points in the paint while getting to the free throw line for 32 attempts.
• Sylla recorded his fourth consecutive double-double, and 12^th overall this season, finishing with 18 points and 12 boards.
• Smith collected 11 assists without a single turnover.
• The Sharks shot 55.4% for the game.

UP NEXT:
NSU will hit the road once again when they travel to face Saint Leo next Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. For complete coverage of the action, visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball.