LAKELAND, Fla. – All good things must come to an end. In a battle of the last two teams unbeaten in Sunshine State Conference play, the No. 1 Nova Southeastern Sharks were defeated, for the first time since March 22nd, 2022, as NSU fell 93-82 to the Florida Southern Moccasins on Wednesday evening from the Jenkins Field House.
The loss snaps Nova Southeastern’s NCAA Division II record of 62 consecutive regular season wins and the Sharks 46 game winning streak.
Records: No. 1 Nova Southeastern 10-1, 4-1 SSC | Florida Southern 11-3, 5-0 SSC
Score: No. 1 Nova Southeastern 82 | Florida Southern 93
Location: Jenkins Field House | Lakeland, Fla.
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First Half – From the opening tip-off, both Nova Southeastern and Florida Southern were battling back-and-forth as each teams traded buckets. Ryan Davis took over the contest, scoring seven consecutive points for the Sharks, putting NSU in front 14-6. GianFranco Grafals extended the Nova Southeastern lead with a three-pointer, putting the Sharks ahead 20-10 with 13 minutes remaining in the first half. NSU maintained a double-digit lead heading into the midway point of the opening half, as Florida Southern missed their first eight three-point attempts. Nova Southeastern went into halftime leading 49-38 over the Moccasins.
The Sharks shot 54% in the opening half, including 42% from beyond the arc.
Second Half – Following the break, both teams came out and traded buckets back-and-forth with the Sharks continuing to hold off Florida Southern. The Mocs rallied for a 12-1 run against Nova Southeastern, taking their first lead of the contest at 64-62 at the midway point of the half. After the Mocs took the lead, NSU was forced to chase the game the remainder of the half, as Florida Southern led 87-79 with two minutes left in the contest. FSC finished the game at the free throw line, where the Mocs attempted 45 free throws in the game, and ultimately handed Nova Southeastern its first loss of the 2023-24 campaign.
Head Coach Jim Crutchfield – Florida Southern has talented and mature team and they certainly outplayed us in the second half. Our job is to keep working hard and be prepared for Tampa on Saturday.
No. 1 Nova Southeastern returns to the Rick Case Arena to take on the Tampa Spartans in Sunshine State Conference action. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. To stay up to date on Sharks Basketball, be sure to follow on Instagram and X at NSU_MBasketball.
