DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Kaliyah Morales dropped 22 points, Markayla Holland added a near double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds, and the 19th-ranked Nova Southeastern Sharks took down Montevallo 81-66 in the second game of the SSC-GSC Crossover. Hailey Chiles also had a near double-double with 16 points and eight rebounds for NSU, who moved to 2-0 on the season.



SCORE: #19 Nova Southeastern 81 | Montevallo 66
RECORDS: #19 Nova Southeastern (2-0, 0-0 SSC), | Montevallo (0-2, 0-0 GSC)
LOCATION: ICI Center | Daytona Beach, Fla.
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NSU opened with a quick 6-0 run out of the gates before the Falcons responded with a 5-0 run of their own. The Sharks went up 14-5 after a steal from Bridie McCann and a bucket from Katelynn Hagy. The Falcons stayed within striking distance, hitting a three-pointer with 36 seconds remaining in the first, but the Sharks went up seven after a putback layup from Chynna Mattair. NSU led 22-15 after one.

Montevallo opened the second quarter with two quick buckets to cut NSU's lead to three, but the Sharks responded with back-to-back buckets from Chiles and then another one from Holland to extend the lead to 28-19. The Sharks led 33-22 at the under-5 media timeout, but Elyse Hughes kept the Falcons in the game, with six free throws and a jumper sandwiched in between. Hughes' efforts cut NSU's lead to five with just under a minute remaining, but Morales knocked down two free throws to give the Sharks a 41-36 halftime lead.

The third quarter proved to be crucial again for the Sharks, as they stretched their lead to 47-36 with just under eight minutes remaining. NSU led by eight at the under-5 media timeout, but then their full court pressure took over, forcing multiple turnovers. NSU stretched the lead to 15 with just under two minutes remaining, and then closed the quarter with a pullup jumper from Morales, two steals and a bucket from McCann to go into the fourth leading 62-44. The Sharks held the Falcons to just one field goal in the third, while all their other five points came off of free throws.

The fourth quarter was more of the same, as the Sharks stretched their lead to 27 points at the 4:18 mark after another three-pointer from McCann. The Falcons did manage another 6-0 run in the fourth, but the Sharks' defense ultimately held, and they came away with the 81-66 win.



Kaliyah Morales: 22 points (5/13 FG, 11/11 FTs), five steals 
Markayla Holland: 18 points (8/11 FG), nine rebounds
Hailey Chiles: 16 points (8/13 FG), eight rebounds
Bridie McCann: 11 points, four steals



With the win, the Sharks move to 2-0 on the season and will look forward to their home opener on Tuesday at noon against Florida National. To stay up to date on Sharks Women's Basketball, follow on Instagram and Twitter/X at NSU_WBasketball.