LAKELAND, Fla. - The Nova Southeastern women's basketball team bounced back with a commanding SSC victory over the Florida Southern Mocs on Wednesday night at the George W. Jenkins Field House. Payton Graber played a pivotal role in the Sharks victory on both sides of the ball, scoring a team-high 19 points while also recording five steals.  
 

       
     
SCORE: Nova Southeastern 77, Florida Southern 39     
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern (20-5, 13-4 SSC), Florida Southern (10-14, 5-12 SSC)   
LOCATION: George W. Jenkins Field House | Lakeland, Fla.        
GET SOCIAL: Instagram & Twitter – NSU_WBasketball     
  

First Half - The Sharks came out aggressive defensively, going on an 8-0 run thanks to baskets from Michaela Cloonan, Madison Cloonan, and Jess Moors. Florida Southern withstood the Sharks hot start, outscoring NSU 10-7 to end the quarter, the Sharks held a 15-10 lead heading into the second quarter. FSC knocked down a three-pointer to start the quarter, cutting their deficit to three points. Shortly after, back-to-back three-pointers from Moors and Payton Graber put NSU ahead 21-12. With 2:46 left to play in the half, FSC trailed by seven before four straight points from Dash Shaw and Michaela Cloonan gave Nova Southeastern a 34-23 lead going into the halftime break.  

Second Half – At the 8:53 mark, NSU would go on to outscore the Mocs 22-4 the rest of the third quarter, taking a commanding 59-29 advantage heading into the final frame. A layup by Michaela Cloonan jump-started a quick 6-0 run for the Sharks extending their lead to 36 points. Nova Southeastern continued to keep up the pressure defensively, ultimately securing the 77-39 lead over Florida Southern. 

Payton Graber - 19 points, 5 steals
Michaela Cloonan - 18 points, 5 assists
 

The Sharks will head back home for an SSC duel against the Florida Tech Panthers on Saturday, February 22nd. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m.