FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.  - Dallas Graziani dropped 24 points, nine assists and four steals, and Ross Reeves added 17 points as #1 Nova Southeastern cruised to a 103-70 victory over Saint Leo for their 98th consecutive home win on Senior Day. Bennett Kayser added a near double-double with 16 points and nine boards off the bench, and Jaxon Nap and Jamie Qualley each supplied 12 points for the Sharks. 



Score: #1 Nova Southeastern 103 | Saint Leo 70
Records: #1 Nova Southeastern 22-1 (17-1 SSC) | Saint Leo 7-19 (2-16 SSC)
Location: Crutchfield Court at Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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The Sharks opened the game with a steal and score from Ross Reeves, giving them an early 2-0 advantage. The Lions responded with a three-pointer on the next possession, and the two teams traded baskets over the next few minutes. Saint Leo got six straight points from Jayden Johnson as they took an 11-7 lead just before the under-16 media timeout. The Sharks took the lead on a three-pointer from Dallas Graziani, but the Lions snatched the lead back, going up 16-15 on a bucket from Luther Smith with 11:51 remaining. 

That would be the final lead for the Lions, however, as NSU's Jamie Qualley banged in a three to go up 18-16, which it was the start of a 12-2 run. The Sharks went up 28-18 at the 5:54 mark on a free throw from Jaxon Nap. Smith hit a three for Saint Leo at the 3:32 mark to cut NSU's lead to 32-23, but they only managed one free throw the rest of the half. The Sharks forced consecutive turnovers and closed the final 3:32 on a 10-1 run, going up 42-24 at the half when Ross Reeves knocked down two free throws.

The Sharks pounced on the Lions in the second half, going up by 20 on a hook shot from Jaxon Nap. Saint Leo briefly cut the lead to 16 on an and-one from Owen Pawlikowski, but the Sharks then went on a 9-0 run spanning 90 seconds. NSU forced a five-second violation on the inbound and got a bucket from Reeves, then forced a backcourt violation; they got a pullup jumper from Graziani, got a stop and another three from Qualley to go up 57-30 and force another timeout. The Sharks pushed the lead past 30 after a Reeves three-pointer, another five-second call and another score from Reeves.

The Sharks went up by 42, 77-35, after Graziani drilled back-to-back threes at the 12:17 mark, and they took an 81-35 lead-- their largest of the game-- on another bucket from Nap moments later. The Lions never threatened again, as the lead never dipped below 33 points the rest of the way. The Sharks eclipsed the 100-point threshold on a bucket from Jarvis Wright with 2:36 remaining, and they closed out the 103-70 victory. The Sharks scored 33 points off 24 Lion turnovers and outscored the Lions 61-46 in the second half alone, while also outscoring them in the paint 50-28. 



Dallas Graziani: 24 points, nine assists, four steals
Ross Reeves: 17 points, four rebounds
Bennett Kayser: 16 points, nine rebounds
Jamie Qualley: 12 points, six rebounds
Jaxon Nap: 12 points, four rebounds
Ryan Davis: eight points, eight rebounds



The Sharks now hold a 22-1 record, with a 17-1 mark in SSC play. They'll face Rollins College at home on February 25 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.