TAMPA, Fla. - The #11 ranked NSU women's basketball team's 20-game win streak ended Wednesday night at the Bob Martinez Athletics Center, falling to the #16 ranked Tampa Spartans. India Shepherd poured in a career-high 20 points to lead the Sharks.
SCORE: No. 11 Nova Southeastern 74, No. 16 Tampa 76
RECORDS: No. 11 Nova Southeastern 22-4, 17-2 SSC, No. 16 Tampa 25-5, 16-3 SSC
LOCATION: Bob Martinez Athletics Center | Tampa, Fla.
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First Half – The Spartans came out hot, scoring the first nine points to take the early lead. Nicole Scales would then knock down three consecutive three-pointers to tie the match at nine apiece. In the ensuing possession, Kyarrah Grant came down and made a three-pointer of her own to put the Sharks up three. Both teams continued to battle as Tampa held on to a two-point advantage heading into the second quarter. UT went on a 14-0 run to kick off the second quarter, taking a 32-16 lead. NSU clawed their way back, cutting their deficit to nine going into the break.
Second Half – NSU came out aggressive, going on a 12-2 run capped off by a three-pointer from Shepherd to go ahead 39-37. The rest of the quarter featured a back-and-forth affair with the Sharks holding on to a one-point lead heading into the final frame. After the Spartans pushed ahead by five points with 1:20 left to play, a layup by Morgan Kane brought NSU within three points. The Sharks hunkered down defensively and got a stop before Shepherd came down and made a last-second three-pointer to force overtime. Nova held on to a three-point lead with 1:56 left to play in overtime but UT stormed back and secured the 76-74 victory, snapping the Sharks 20 game win streak.
Nova Southeastern will head back to the Rick Case Arena on March 2nd to close out the regular season against Saint Leo. NSU will also honor five seniors before the game, tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
