HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - Kaliyah Morales scored 20 points with seven assists to lead six players in double figures, Taydra Simpson added 17, and the fifth-seeded Nova Southeastern Sharks took down fourth-seeded Miles College 91-71 in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night. Anaia Hoard scored a season-high 14 points off the bench, while Hailey Chiles (13 points), Chynna Mattair (11 points) and Bridie McCann (10 points) rounded out the balanced scoring effort. 



Score: #10 Nova Southeastern 91 | Miles 71
Records: #10 Nova Southeastern 28-4 (16-4 SSC) | Miles 25-6 (20-4 SIAC)
Location: Spragins Hall | Huntsville, Ala.
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The Lady Bears got on the board first thanks to a layup from Nayla Wesley, but the Sharks countered with a furious run over the next five minutes. Anaia Hoard checked into the game and made an immediate impact, as the junior scored eight of the next 10 points for the Sharks. She hit a baseline jumper to tie the game at five before scoring again off a steal from Markayla Holland, and then stole the ensuing inbounds pass and scored again to force a Miles timeout. Hoard later scored another layup off a steal from Kaliyah Morales to give NSU a 16-5 lead at the 4:44 mark. The Lady Bears managed to cut the deficit to 20-14, thanks to multiple free throws as the Sharks got into the bonus early, but NSU took a 24-14 lead at the end of the first after Celeste Reed split her free throw attempts.  

NSU doubled up Miles 28-14 early in the second quarter on Bridie McCann's pullup jumper, and Morales drilled a midrange jumper of her own to double them up again 32-16 at the 5:36 mark. Chynna Mattair then checked in and went on a personal 6-0 run, as she hit a three and then converted an and-one to give NSU a 40-22 lead with just under four minutes remaining. The Sharks closed the half with a bucket from McCann and two more baskets from Hoard, including a putback just before the buzzer, to take a 48-27 halftime lead. 

The Sharks opened the second half on a heater, as they shot 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. They got threes from Morales, Simpson, Simpson again and Mattair to take a 62-41 lead at the media timeout. However, Miles then held the Sharks scoreless for the next several minutes, going on a 11-2 run to draw within 12 points with just under a minute remaining. The Lady Bears trailed 64-52 at the end of the third quarter after outscoring the Sharks 23-16 in the frame.
 
The Sharks went ahead by 14 when McCann put back her own miss, and they maintained a 70-56 lead after Morales' layup with 8:22 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Lady Bears started pressing in the fullcourt as well, but McCann got a run out and Simpson hit another three from the wing to push NSU's lead to 79-62. Morales later scored a layup to give NSU an 89-68 lead with just over two minutes remaining, and the lead never dipped below 20 the rest of the way. The Sharks won their First Round game by a final score of 91-71.



Kaliyah Morales: 20 points, seven assists, three steals
Taydra Simpson: 17 points (5/10 3PT), six rebounds, 
Anaia Hoard: 14 points (season-high), six rebounds, three rebounds, three steals
Hailey Chiles: 13 points, five rebounds, three blocks, three assists
Chynna Mattair: 11 points 
Bridie McCann: 10 points



The Sharks advance to the NCAA Second Round for a matchup against 1-seed Alabama-Huntsville. To stay up-to-date on the Sharks' Tournament run, be sure to follow on Instagram and Twitter/X at NSU_WBasketball.