LAKELAND, Fla. – All five starters for the second-ranked Nova Southeastern Sharks scored in double-digits, while Dallas Graziani broke his own single-game program record by recording 17 assists and narrowly missed a triple-double (17 points/17 assists/9 steals), as the Sharks rolled the St. Thomas Aquinas College Spartans 116-81 on Sunday evening during the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic.
Graziani also set the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic tournament record for assists (17) and steals in a game (9). The Sharks now hold the top two scoring performances in a single game during the tournament, scoring 122 versus Gannon and 116 against STAC on Sunday.
NSU tied its record for field goals made in a single game (47) in both games during the tournament. Additionally, the Sharks now hold the record for most points scored during the SCB Hall of Fame Classic (238), total field goals made (94), total field goals attempted (163), rebounds (83), and assists (59).
Records: No. 2 Nova Southeastern 2-0 | St. Thomas Aquinas 0-2
Score: No. 2 Nova Southeastern 116 | St. Thomas Aquinas 81
Location: George W. Jenkins Field House | Lakeland, Fla.
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First Half – The Sharks were able to open the game with an 8-4 lead in the first four minutes of the game, as Tyler Eberhart, MJ Iraldi, and Ross Reeves all got involved on the scoreboard. A three-point bucket by Ryan Davis, followed by a fast-break lay-up by Dallas Graziani extended the NSU advantage to 17-10. NSU found their groove and capitalized on a pair of Spartans turnovers with both Eberhart and Ryker Cisarik finishing off buckets to extend the lead to 30-19 midway through the first half. With under seven minutes remaining in the first half, a steal from Graziani set up a three-pointer from Eberhart as the Sharks took a 41-28 lead. NSU closed the half on a 5-0 run, heading into the break leading 58-44.
MJ Iraldi (12 points), Tyler Eberhart (12), Ryker Cisarik (12), and Ross Reeves (11) all scored in double digits for the Sharks, while Dallas Graziani tallied nine assists. NSU shot 62% from the field in the opening half.
Second Half – The Sharks continued to roll following halftime and quickly extended their lead to 20-points with a 13-4 run to begin the second half. Graziani contributed on six consecutive points for NSU, pushing the lead to 79-61 with 12 minutes remaining. NSU surpassed the 100-point mark with over five minutes left in the game, as a pair of free throws by Graziani put Nova Southeastern ahead 101-70. Eli Allen, Alex Mangold, Tommy Sala, and Alex Sessoms all contributed points down the stretch for NSU, closing out the 116-81 victory.
NSU outscored STAC 25-10 off of turnovers, 74-48 in the paint, and 24-2 in transition. The Sharks held the lead for 39:33 seconds in the game, going wire-to-wire for the victory.
Dallas Graziani: 17 points, 17 assists (single game program record), nine steals (second most in a single game in program history)
MJ Iraldi: 23 points, 10-15 FG
Ross Reeves: 21 points, 8-12 FG, seven rebounds
Ryker Cisarik: 18 points, 7-10 FG, seven rebounds
Tyler Eberhart: 12 points, 5-8 FG, six rebounds
Head Coach Jim Crutchfield – “It’s unusual for us to play back-to-back days against teams that play a similar style of basketball that we do. It resembled practice a lot, transition basketball and a lot of points on the board. Overall, it was a great two days. We saw really good basketball from some of the top teams around the country here at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic.”
No. 2 Nova Southeastern will travel to Montevallo, AL., to take on the Alabama-Huntsville Chargers for the SSC-GSC Crossover on Friday, November 8th, at the Central State Bank Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. To stay up-to-date on Sharks Men’s Basketball, be sure to follow on Instagram and X at NSU_MBasketball
