MELBOURNE, Fla.  - Eli Allen posted a near double-double with a career-high 19 points and nine rebounds, Ross Reeves added 18 points, and Dallas Graziani supplied 17 points with a season-high 11 assists as #1 Nova Southeastern took down Florida Tech 96-85 on the road. Jaxon Nap added 17 points and seven boards while Bobby Rosenberger III added 15 points as Nova won its 14th straight game and sixth straight road game.



Score: #1 Nova Southeastern 96 | Florida Tech 85
Records: #1 Nova Southeastern 20-1 (15-1 SSC) | Florida Tech 10-15 (6-11 SSC)
Location: Charles and Ruth Clemente Center | Melbourne, Fla.
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Neither team could shake the other in the early going. Ty Harping's three-pointer put the Panthers up 9-6, but Jaxon Nap responded with a three for the Sharks to tie it 9-9 just before the under-16 media timeout. The teams continued trading blows through the middle frame, and Bobby Rosenberger III hit a three-pointer at the 10:17 mark to cut Florida Tech's lead to 21-20. However, the Panthers went on a 9-0 run over the next two minutes, and they went up 30-20 on another three-pointer from Harping. The Sharks kept fighting, cutting the deficit to six points on bucket from Nap, but Xavier-Ford Belton hit a three from the top of the key to extend the Panthers' lead to 39-30. 

NSU responded with a 7-0 run, drawing within 39-37 on two free throws from Rosenberger III with five minutes remaining. Eli Allen banged in a three-pointer with 2:02 remaining to tie the score at 44, before the Panthers later tied the score at 46 on a score from Ca'darrius Sowell. Ross Reeves hit a floater just before the buzzer to give NSU a 48-46 halftime lead. The Panthers shot a blistering 11-for-23  (48%) from three-point range in the first half, and Harping hit six three-pointers by himself. Rosenberger III's 12 points led the Sharks' scoring attack in the first half. 

The second half was a much different story. Florida Tech came within one point on two separate occassions, the second on a jumper from Ford-Belton to draw within 52-51, but the Sharks then clamped down. After a made free throw at the 16:22 mark to draw within 57-52, the Panthers didn't score again until the 12:52 mark. During that span, the Sharks manufactured a game changing 14-0 run which featured baskets from Reeves, Graziani, Nap, a three from Ryan Davis and an and-one from Allen. Allen converted the free throw to put the Sharks ahead 71-52.

The Sharks took an 82-56 lead, their largest of the game, on at the 9:38 mark on two free throws from Nap. Florida Tech went on an 11-2 run to cut the deficit to 17, but Allen drilled another three-pointer to push NSU's lead back to 87-67. NSU's lead hovered around 15 to 20 points the remainder of the game, until the Panthers' reserves cut the lead down in the final minutes. Jarvis Wright's free throw provided the final point for NSU, and they prevailed 96-85.




Eli Allen: 19 points, nine rebounds, three assists
Ross Reeves: 18 points
Dallas Graziani: 17 points, 11 assists (season-high)
Jaxon Nap: 17 points, seven rebounds
Bobby Rosenberger III: 15 points, four rebounds



The Sharks earn their 20th win of the season and have a 15-1 record in SSC play. They will visit Embry-Riddle next Wednesday, February 18 at 7:30 PM. To stay up-to-date on Sharks Men's Basketball, be sure to follow on Instagram and Twitter/X at NSU_MBasketball.