SAINT LEO, Fla. – The target on the back of Nova Southeastern grew a bit larger earlier this week when the Sharks were named the nation's new No. 1 team in the latest rankings. Still, the Sharks took care of business per usual Wednesday night, receiving a combined 47 points from RJ Sunahara and Sekou Sylla en route to a 91-74 victory on the road at Saint Leo. The victory, coupled with an Embry-Riddle loss, now puts NSU just one win away from clinching the Sunshine State Conference regular season title.  

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: No. 1 Nova Southeastern 91, Saint Leo 74
Records: No. 1 Nova Southeastern (21-0, 16-0 SSC), Saint Leo (10-12, 5-10 SSC)
Location: Marion Bowman Activities Center | Saint Leo, Fla.
Get Social: Twitter - @NSU_MBasketball | Instagram - @NSU_MBasketball

HOW IT HAPPENED:
1^st Half | The Sharks tallied the first four points of the ball game and grabbed a slim 8-5 edge in the early minutes on a Sylla jumper from the elbow. Saint Leo climbed in front momentarily, 12-10, before Eddie Puisis answered the next time down the floor with a three-point bucket. Neither side created much separation with both offenses off to strong starts. Still, NSU collected a 19-16 lead after Nick Smith earned a friendly bounce on a three from the top of the key. The first half belonged to the NSU bigs, particularly Sunahara and Sylla, who combined for 30 points in the opening 20 minutes. A Sunahara alley-oop from Jonathan Pierre kept the Sharks ahead by three until the margin doubled to 28-22 on a Sunahara three-point make with 11:05 remaining. A Shane Hunter tip-in pushed NSU's advantage to double digits for the first time, and soon grew to 37-24 after Sunahara connected on another triple. The Lions shuffled defenses, switching to a zone look. While NSU failed to capitalize from beyond the arc, the Sharks crashed the glass for 12 offensive boards in the first half to maintain their momentum. Hunter's second tip-in capped a 13-2 run, as the margin ballooned to 43-26. Smith's sixth assist of the night then set up Sylla for an easy lay-in in the final minute, handing NSU a commanding 47-32 cushion heading into the break.

2^nd Half | Just 1-of-6 from deep in the first half, Puisis ignited the NSU offense to begin the second, draining three consecutive three-pointers from right in front of the Shark bench to negate a solid start by the Lions. Two free throws by Hunter, who gave NSU a welcomed lift off the bench with 11 points and seven rebounds, extended the margin to 20 at the 13:35 mark. The Sharks were held without a field goal, though, for nearly four minutes but still maintained a 67-47 lead following a Sylla second-chance score. A flurry of three's by Saint Leo's Grant Disken cut the lead in half still with 8:16 to go. Just when the Sharks needed it, though, Sunahara came through with his first basket of the second half to quiet the home crowd. The Lions once again trimmed the margin to 10, and even got as close as nine with 3:07 showing on the clock. Yet, NSU would once again rise to the occasion, with Sunahara converting a three-point play on a dribble handoff from Smith before eventually closing the contest on an 11-3 run.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• NSU head coach Jim Crutchfield is now 7-0 against Saint Leo since taking over the program in 2017.

STATS OF THE NIGHT:

• Sylla backed up his National Player of the Week honor by recording a game-high 26 points to go along with eight rebounds.
• Sunahara finished with 21 points on an efficient 9-of-12 shooting.
• Puisis scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half.
• As he has all season, Smith filled the stat sheet with 11 points, five rebounds, nine assists and four steals.
• The Sharks outscored the Lions in second-chance points, 27-3.
• Saint Leo's Wade Coomer entered the night averaging an SSC-best 3.8 three-pointers per game, yet was held to just 1-of-7 from beyond the arc.

UP NEXT:
NSU will return to the Rick Case Arena this Saturday at 4 p.m. in a matchup with Florida Southern. In conjunction with the Sharks' new No. 1 ranking, NSU Athletics will be hosting "Dollar Day" on Saturday for the women's and men's basketball doubleheader. This will include $1 tickets, $1 hot dogs, and a chance for all fans to be randomly selected to participate in the money machine promotion! For more information, please call 954-262-1599.

For complete coverage of Saturday's contest, visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Instagram and Twitter at @NSU_MBasketball.