FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The Nova Southeastern women's basketball team won their 8th straight game on Saturday afternoon from the Rick Case Arena, taking down the #15 ranked Tampa Spartans. Double digit efforts from Nicole Scales (17), Morgan Kane (15), and Kailyn Terrell (14) propelled the Sharks to the 73-66 victory over the Spartans.
SCORE: Nova Southeastern 73, Tampa 66
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern 10-3, 5-1 SSC, Tampa 13-4, 4-2 SSC
LOCATION: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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First Half – Stupp got the action started with a crafty layup to give the Sharks an early lead. With 2:47 left in the first quarter, baskets from India Shepherd and Alana Ellis gave the Sharks a 15-11 lead. Shortly after, Ellis would score another bucket, capping off a 17-point first quarter for NSU. The Spartans came out aggressive in the second quarter, knocking down a quick jump shot to reclaim the lead. Towards the end of the quarter, Tampa would score five quick points to extend their lead to 32-27 with one minute left to play. The Sharks would answer back, as Ellis and Shepherd knocked down a jumpshot and three-pointer respectively, tying the match at 32 heading into the break.
Second Half- A 8-0 run capped off by a three-pointer from Scales pushed the Sharks in front 40-32 to kick off the second half. The Spartans wouldn't go away easy, as they went on their own 8-0 run to tie the match at 40. Kane made her impact felt in her season debut, scoring a tough layup at the 2:12 mark to put the Sharks up four. With 11 seconds left in the quarter, Jess Moors knocked down a big three-pointer, as the Sharks took a 58-54 lead going into the final frame. Back-to-back three-pointers from Scales and Terrell gave the Sharks a 10-point lead to start the quarter. The Spartans clawed back and brought their deficit to six with 3:16 left to play but it ultimately wasn't enough to complete the comeback. NSU secured the SSC victory over #15 Tampa on Saturday afternoon.
Nicole Scales: 17 points, 8 rebounds, 5 3PM
Morgan Kane: 15 points
Kailyn Terrell: 14 points, 5 rebounds
Head Coach LeAnn Freeland-Curry: "Our players battled hard together for 40 minutes. We did a great job making adjustments throughout the game and hit big shots against their 2-3 zone. It was a great game overall."
Nova Southeastern will be back in action on Wednesday, January 6th as they head to Winter Park, Fla. to take on Rollins College in another SSC Showdown. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. EST.
To stay up-to-date on Sharks Women's Basketball, follow on Instagram and Twitter at NSU_WBasketball.
