FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The 21st-ranked Nova Southeastern Sharks clawed their way back in Wednesday evening's SSC thriller against Lynn, completing the comeback and taking down the Knights 73-61. The Sharks were led by double-digit efforts from Aubrey Stupp (19 points), Alana Ellis (17 points), and 40 points from the bench.
SCORE: No. 21 Nova Southeastern 73, Lynn 61
RECORDS: No. 17 Nova Southeastern 16-3, 9-2 SSC, Lynn 10-9, 4-8 SSC
LOCATION: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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First Half – The Sharks came out slow in the first quarter as the Knights held onto a 22-8 lead heading into the second quarter. Alana Ellis took over in the second quarter for the Sharks, scoring 14 points on 5/7 shooting to help spark the comeback for NSU. The Sharks defense was stifling in the second quarter limiting the Knights to only 14 points in the quarter, helping cut the Knights lead down to 3 as they headed to the halftime break.
Second Half – The second half was a lot of back-and-forth action between Nova and Lynn, as both teams were trading leads. NSU slowly started to take over possession by possession, with Payton Graber and Mercedes Simmons leading the way in the third quarter for the Sharks. NSU's tenacious defense limited the Knights offense to another 14-point quarter, leading to a 51-50 advantage for the Sharks going into the final frame. Nova went on a 13-2 run in the final five minutes to their ninth conference victory.
Head Coach LeAnn Freeland-Curry - "After a slow start by our team and an aggressive start by Lynn, we had to fight back for most of the game to win this one. Alana was huge for us in the second quarter, Dash hit big shots late and Aubrey knocked down free throws to finish the game. With forty points off the bench, clearly, this was another big team win."
Alana Ellis - "We had a slow start in the beginning of the game, but we were able to dig ourselves out of that hole with toughness and heart and get the win together!"
Aubrey Stupp – 19 points, six rebounds
Alana Ellis – 17 points, three 3PM
Payton Graber - 10 points, seven rebounds, six assists
Nova Southeastern will travel down to SSC rival Barry for a matchup in the County-Line Cup, on Saturday, February 1st. Tip-off is set for 2:00 PM.
