HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Nova Southeastern men's basketball took a gut punch in its second game of the season as Alabama Huntsville used two free throws with 0.3 seconds remaining to claim a 94-92 win over the No. 1 ranked Sharks.
Score: #1 Nova Southeastern 92 | #25 Alabama Huntsville 94
Records: #1 Nova Southeastern 1-1 (0-0 SSC) | #25 Alabama Huntsville 3-0 (0-0 GSC)
Location: SportsMED Arena in Spragins Hall | Huntsville, Ala.
Get Social: Instagram and X - NSU_MBasketball
Alabama Huntsville finally got a chance at the
Jim Crutchfield-led Sharks for the first time in eight games against each other, and in front of a raucous pro-Huntsville crowd, the Chargers did not disappoint hitting shot after shot to take a lead they clung to for a majority of the first half.
Huntsville led by as many as ten points in the first half, but the resilient Sharks chipped away with
Eli Allen dishing the rock to Wofford transfer
Brendan Rigsbee for a three ball with six seconds left, putting the Sharks up 46-44 heading into the halftime locker room.
Out of the break, the Chargers wasted no time in making halftime adjustments quickly going on a 14-4 run before the first media timeout of the second half, eventually rebuilding the ten point advantage they at one point had in the first half.
From the under-eight media timeout to the one minute mark, both teams remained virtually deadlocked with a
Jeremy Thomas II dunk evening the score at 89-89 with 60 seconds remaining in regulation. It was the final field goal either side would see go through the nylon on Saturday night.
With 15 seconds remaining, Huntsville went to the line up 91-90 with a chance to make it a three-point game. The Chargers' Bryce Mason only hit one of his two shots allowing NSU's
Jared Berry to head to the line where he sunk both shots to tie the game at 92-92 with just nine seconds remaining.
However, on the fast break, UAH's Xavier Martinez missed a last second layup, but contact was made and a foul was called against
Jared Berry which sent Aiden Weaver to the charity stripe with 0.3 seconds on the clock. He sank both to the delight of the home supporters and giving the Chargers their first win over the Sharks in eight attempts.
Jeremy Thomas II shined in just his second game in Shark blue hitting 12 of 14 shots from the field and scoring 27 points with nine rebounds. Berry added 21 points to his season total. Rigsbee collected 12 points and led the Sharks in steals with four.
Huntsville was aided by red-hot shooting from the entire roster as the Chargers shot over 55% from the field as a team and 50% from three-point land, including 13 made three pointers. Bench player Joshua Gibson led the Chargers with 18 points.
Jeremy Thomas II: 27 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists
Jared Berry: 21 points, 3 steals
Brendan Rigsbee: 12 points, 4 assists, 4 steals
The Sharks kick off the Sunshine State Conference schedule with the NSU home opener on Wednesday, November 18 against Florida Tech. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
To stay up-to-date on Sharks Men's Basketball, be sure to follow on Instagram and Twitter/X at NSU_MBasketball.
