FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The nation's No. 1 program and top seed in the NCAA South Region Tournament looked every bit the part on Saturday, as the Nova Southeastern men's basketball team opened the NCAA Tournament with an overpowering 113-62 win against No. 8 seed Savannah State. The Sharks raced out to a 17-0 lead after holding the Tigers scoreless for the first 8:15 of the ball game and never looked back, setting up a Round of 32 matchup with fourth-seeded Union at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday. South Region Player of the Year
Sekou Sylla led the way with a 25-point, 10-rebound double-double – his 20
th of the season –
RJ Sunahara added 21 points to go along with 16 points and eight assists from
Nick Smith.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Nova Southeastern 113, Savannah State 62
Records: Nova Southeastern (29-0), Savannah State (15-14)
Location: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Get Social: Twitter - @NSU_MBasketball | Instagram - @NSU_MBasketball
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- The 51-point win marks the largest margin of victory in program history in an NCAA Tournament game.
- All 11 NSU players scored in the victory.
- Sylla has now notched a double-double in eight consecutive contests.
STATS OF THE NIGHT:
- The Sharks limited the Tigers to just 32.4% shooting, including 4-of-23 from beyond the arc.
- NSU turned 25 Savannah State turnovers into 27 points.
- NSU won the battle of the boards, 48-36.
- The Sharks converted 35-of-41 attempts from the free throw line.
UP NEXT:
NSU and Union will square off in the second of two NCAA South Region Tournament semifinal contests on Sunday. For complete coverage, visit the
schedule page on NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Instagram and Twitter at @NSU_MBasketball.
