ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Kaliyah Morales scored 16 points, Hailey Chiles added 14, and the #4 Nova Southeastern Sharks outlasted Eckerd College 62-61 in a huge come-from-behind road victory on New Year's Eve. Taydra Simpson added 11 points for the Sharks, who trailed by as many as 12 points but outscored the Tritons 26-14 in the fourth quarter to keep their undefeated record intact. Junior Bridie McCann also eclipsed 1,000 career points in the victory. 



Score: #4 Nova Southeastern 62 | Eckerd 61
Records: #4 Nova Southeastern 13-0 (5-0 SSC) | Eckerd 9-3 (4-1 SSC)
Location: McArthur Center | St. Petersburg, Fla.
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NSU opened the game with a quick 5-0 run, thanks to a three-pointer from Kaliyah Morales and a jumper from Bridie McCann. The Tritons countered with a 5-0 run of their own to tie the score by the first media timeout, as both teams struggled to find their offensive footing. The pace then picked up, and the Tritons went up 14-8 on two free throws with 2:29 remaining. Celeste Reed's offensive rebound and putback drew the Sharks within four with one minute remaining, but Eckerd went up 20-12 at the end of the first quarter on consecutive baskets from Ieva Korzane.

The Sharks opened the second frame with a 6-2 run, and Morales' layup at the 6:32 mark cut the Triton lead to 22-18, forcing a Triton timeout. However, Eckerd responded with a 7-0 run, as Emma Egan hit a trail three-pointer from the top of the key to go up 29-18 with 4:15 remaining. NSU's defense tightened up, as they held the Tritons to just one basket the rest of the way, but they still trailed 31-26 at intermission.

The Sharks cut the Triton lead to five again on Hailey Chiles' layup at the 8:49 mark of the third quarter, but the Tritons went up 40-30 on an and-one. Simpson then converted an and-one on the ensuing possession, cutting the Triton lead to seven. Katelynn Hagy drained a three to cut Eckerd's lead to 40-36, but Eckerd hit consecutive free throws to go up 45-36 with just under two minutes remaining. The Tritons held a 47-36 lead the end of three.

The Sharks got a layup from Simpson, one free throw from Morales and another strip and score from Simpson to cut the Eckerd lead to 47-41 in the fourth quarter. The two teams battled back and forth from there. Eckerd extended their lead to 52-44, but Reed drained back-to-back threes to draw within four, 54-50, halfway through the fourth. Morales then converted a huge and-one with just over three minutes remaining, drawing the Sharks within one and swinging the momentum.

Chiles hit a huge three to tie the contest at 56 with just over two minutes remaining. After a stop, Markayla Holland hit a fastbreak layup to give NSU a 60-58 lead, their first of the second half, with 55 seconds remaining. Eckerd's Jaylen Ostenson scored a layup off a spin move to tie the game again at 60 points apiece. Simpson was fouled on a baseline drive and calmly hit both free throws to go ahead 62-60 with 38 ticks left. Eckerd got a stop and advanced the ball on a timeout, and Egan was fouled on a layup attempt with 2.2 seconds remaining. She made the first but missed the second free throw, and the ensuing putback was no good, and the Sharks escaped with the 62-61 victory. 



Kaliyah Morales: 16 points, five rebounds, four assists, four steals
Hailey Chiles: 14 points, five rebounds
Taydra Simpson: 11 points, seven rebounds, four steals, three blocks
Bridie McCann: four points - eclipsed 1,000 career points



NSU leaves St. Petersburg with a 13-0 record and moves to 5-0 in SSC play. They'll now return home and face Florida Southern on January 3 at 2:00 PM. To stay up-to-date on Sharks Women's Basketball, be sure to follow on Instagram and Twitter/X at NSU_WBasketball.