FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – No. 1 Nova Southeastern Men's Basketball advanced to the Sweet-16 of the NCAA Tournament with another dominant victory, defeating fifth-seed West Georgia 105-74 on Sunday evening from the Rick Case Arena. The top-ranked Sharks improve to 32-0 on the season, setting a new-program record for victories. Dallas Graziani led #1 NSU to the win, scoring 28 points, while shooting a remarkable 70% from the field.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Score – No. 1 Nova Southeastern 105, West Georgia 74
Records – No. 1 Nova Southeastern 32-0 | West Georgia 21-10
Location – Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half – Will Yoakum opened the game by scoring 7-of-9 points for NSU, leading the Sharks to an early 9-2 lead. West Georgia followed with a 9-1 run of their own, putting the score at 11-10 in favor of the Wolves. With the Sharks needing a bucket, Jonathan Pierre stepped up and knocked down a three-pointer for NSU and reclaimed the lead – this time for good – for Nova Southeastern, as NSU led 15-13 with 12:40 remaining in the first half. Graziani and Yoakum both caught fire from beyond the arc, with each Shark hitting a pair of threes and put NSU ahead 38-21. Nova Southeastern went into halftime leading 49-35 over the Wolves.

Second Half – Graziani hit a pair of three-pointers in the early moments of the second half, extending the Sharks advantage to 59-41. Heading into the game, West Georgia had held opponents under 70-points for five consecutive games, but their run ended with over 12-minutes remaining in the game as Graziani knocked down another three-pointer and put NSU ahead 71-49. With less than 10-minutes remaining in the game, Pierre threw down an emphatic dunk, off an assist from RJ Sunahara, pushing the lead to 81-55 for NSU. Nova Southeastern held a 20-point advantage over the Wolves for the majority of the game, giving West Georgia more than they could handle, and earning the 105-74 win to advance to the NCAA South Region Championship.

STATS OF THE NIGHT

• Dallas Graziani played the best game of his Nova Southeastern career and continues to showcase his talents in the postseason. Graziani scored a career-high 28 points, knocking down seven three-pointers.
• Will Yoakum put on a clinic for NSU, scoring 27 points, while shooting 50% from the field.
• The Sharks, who entered the tournament leading NCAA Division II in scoring margin (26.8), have continued that trend in the postseason. NSU defeated Miles 97-55 (+42) before beating West Georgia 105-74 (+31)

UPCOMING
No. 1 Nova Southeastern takes on the third-seed Alabama Huntsville in the NCAA South Region Championship Game on Tuesday, March 14. The Sharks opened the season against the Chargers and defeated UAH 101-81 on November 5. Tip-off for the South Region Championship is set for 7 p.m.