FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The Nova Southeastern women's basketball team swept the NSU Holiday Invitational, taking down the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats from the Rick Case Arena on Friday afternoon. Late buckets from Payton Graber (13) secured the victory for the Sharks.
SCORE: Nova Southeastern 73, Northwest Missouri State 57
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern 9-2, 2-1 SSC, Northwest Missouri State 7-5, 0-2 MIAA
LOCATION: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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First Half – Jess Moors jump started and closed out a 16-2 Shark run, which also featured baskets from Mercedes Simmons, Payton Graber, and Aubrey Stupp. The Bearcats weathered the storm, going on a quick 8-2 run to cut their deficit to eight points. Dash Shaw would close the quarter with an and one to put NSU ahead 21-10. Back-to-back buckets from Corina Conley and Simmons would kick off the second quarter for the Sharks. With 6:25 left to play, the Sharks went on an 11-4 run to put them ahead 38-19 as they headed into the halftime break.
Second Half – At the 4:34 mark of the third quarter, a three-pointer from Northwest Missouri State cut their deficit to 10. Shortly after, Simmons answered with five straight points to bring the score to 47-34. The Bearcats continued to fight, bringing NSU's lead back down to nine, but four straight points from Graber put the Sharks back up 13 as they headed into the final frame. Both teams hunkered down defensively in the fourth quarter, but NSU's tenacious defense and late buckets from Graber would secure the 73-57 victory for Nova Southeastern.
Mercedes Simmons - 14 points
Payton Graber - 13 points, seven assists, two steals
Dash Shaw - 11 points
Jess Moors – 9 points, three steals
Head Coach
LeAnn Freeland-Curry - Our players put tw back to back games together against two very talented MIAA teams. I'm proud of our effort and selflessness as a team. Our bench production continues to be one of the best in the nation and it's hard to stop that many players who are working hard together on both ends of the floor for forty minutes.
Payton Graber - We played really hard and together and took them out the game early. We distributed the ball well and it was a great team win.
Nova Southeastern returns home on New Year's Day to take on the Tampa Spartans. 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.
