FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Bridie McCann scored 28 points on the way to MVP Honors, Kaliyah Morales added 15 points and the dagger with less than 10 seconds remaining, and #14 Nova Southeastern defeated Florida Southern 78-74 to capture the 2025-26 Sunshine State Conference Tournament Championship. Hailey Chiles added 14 points and six boards for the Sharks, who fended off a late rally to win their first SSC tournament title since the 2014-15 season.

"I'm incredibly proud of this group. From the very beginning, our team committed to learning, growing, and fully buying into what we were building together," head coach Heather Macy said. "Their willingness to trust the process and hold each other accountable made this championship possible. The way our community showed up and supported us throughout the tournament meant so much to our players and created an incredible atmosphere. Winning the Sunshine State Conference Tournament is a special moment for our program and a credit to the belief and knowledge this team brings every single day."

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Bridie McCann, Nova Southeastern - Tournament Most Valuable Player
Kaliyah Morales, Nova Southeastern
Taydra Simpson, Nova Southeastern
Sydney Gomes, Florida Southern
Lily Randgaard, Florida Southern



Score: #14 Nova Southeastern 78 | Florida Southern 74
Records: #14 Nova Southeastern 27-4 (17-4 SSC) | Florida Southern 23-7 (15-5 SSC)
Location: Crutchfield Court at Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Get Social: Instagram and Twitter/X - NSU_WBasketball



The Sharks came out firing on all cylinders, as they started the game on an 11-4 run. Bridie McCann scored seven points during the run, and her three-pointer at the 6:47 mark forced a Florida Southern timeout. However, the Sharks began racking up fouls, and the Mocs drew within 12-11 thanks to five free throws and a layup from Gianna Voss. Florida Southern tied the score at 17 on a layup from Nia Blocton with just over a minute remaining, but Celeste Reed split two free throws to give NSU an 18-17 lead after the first.

The Mocs took their first lead of the game in the second quarter, thanks to back-to-back three-pointers from Lily Pereira and Sydney Gomes to go up 23-18. Carlota Gomez Alonso then scored six straight points for the Mocs to go up 29-20, forcing a Shark timeout with 7:04 remaining. Gomez Alonso scored another bucket to give FSC a 10 point lead, but the Sharks responded with a run to draw within 34-29. Taydra Simpson then hit a floater and McCann drilled another trey to tie it up at 34. McCann tied the score again at 39 with another three with 90 ticks left, but Sydney Gomes closed the half on a personal 6-0 run for the Mocs to take a 45-39 lead at the half.

Hailey Chiles scored the first eight points for the Sharks in the third quarter, and her basket at the 7:33 mark gave them a 47-46 lead. The Sharks then turned up the pressure defensively and went up 56-46 after McCann drilled a three and hit another floater, bringing the crowd to its feet. Taydra Simpson drove baseline for a layup to extend the lead to 60-49, but Gomez Alonso responded with a Trey to cut the deficit to eight with 2:14 left. The Sharks took a 66-56 lead into the fourth quarter after baskets from Simpson and Unique Horton.

The Mocs went on a 6-0 run to open the fourth, cutting NSU's lead to 66-62 after another layup from Gomez Alonso. Anaia Hoard scored consecutive buckets for NSU to push the lead back to 70-62 with 5:31 remaining. Florida Southern stormed back, drawing with 74-70 on Blocton's layup with 2:34 remaining. Sydney Gomes tied the score at 74 on a driving layup with just over one minute remaining.

Gomez Alonso was called for her fifth foul, and McCann knocked down two free throws to take a 76-74 lead with 45 ticks left. Simpson blocked the Mocs' three-point attempt, and Morales hit a dagger from the baseline with 6.6 left to go up 78-74 and provide the final margin.




Bridie McCann: 28 points
Kaliyah Morales: 15 points, six steals, five assists
Hailey Chiles: 14 points, six rebounds
Markayla Holland: 10 rebounds
Taydra Simpson: Five steals, eight points

QUOTES
"This tournament championship is a remarkable accomplishment for our women's basketball program. Our new coaching staff and student-athletes built a culture of belief and excellence in a short period of time, culminating in this new staff's first conference tournament championship. The entire community at Nova Southeastern University is incredibly proud of the way this team represents our university."  — Harry K. Moon, M.D., President, Nova Southeastern University

"Winning a conference tournament championship is a remarkable achievement. Our women's basketball team has set a championship standard at Nova Southeastern University, and we are incredibly proud of the commitment and resilience they've shown all season."  — Ryan Romero, Interim Director of Athletics, Nova Southeastern University




The Sharks capture their first tournament title since 2014-15 and will await their seeding from the NCAA Selection Show tonight at 10:30 PM. You can watch the Selection Show HERE. They currently stand at 27-4 (17-4 SSC). To stay up-to-date on Sharks Women's Basketball, be sure to follow on Instagram and Twitter/X at NSU_WBasketball.