FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – MJ Iraldi recorded his fifth 30-point game of the season, scoring a game-high 31, as the third-ranked Nova Southeastern Sharks defeated the Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish 94-55 on Wednesday night at the Rick Case Arena, as NSU avenged their loss against the Sailfish on January 8th (84-87). The Sharks now hold a three-game lead over Florida Southern for the Sunshine State Conference regular season crown, with five games remaining in the regular season.
Nova Southeastern has now won 76 consecutive games at the Rick Case Arena, four shy of tying the NCAA Division II record, dating back to February 26, 2020.
Records: No. 3 Nova Southeastern 22-1, 14-1 SSC | Palm Beach Atlantic 16-7, 9-6 SSC
Score: No. 3 Nova Southeastern 94 | Palm Beach Atlantic 55
Location: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Get Social: Instagram & X – NSU_MBasketball
First Half – Dallas Graziani took over the game in the early minutes, sparking an 8-0 run, as the Sharks took an 11-4 lead over Palm Beach Atlantic before the first media timeout. Nova Southeastern continued to pour it on, extending the advantage to 20-7 within the first eight minutes of the SSC tilt. Late in the half, MJ Iraldi knocked down three consecutive three-pointers, pushing the Sharks to a 47-17 lead. NSU went into the break leading 47-20 over PBA. In the opening half, Iraldi nearly outscored the Sailfish by himself, as the Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year contender totaled 19 points, making five three-pointers. Nova Southeastern forced 12 turnovers by the Sailfish in the opening half and outscored PBA, 16-2 off of those turnovers.
Second Half – The Sharks continued to hold a sizable advantage over PBA, netting a pair of fast-break buckets from Iraldi and Ross Reeves to extend the lead to 59-31. Iraldi continued his onslaught, putting NSU in front 66-35 with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game. Ryker Cisarik forced a steal and went coast-to-coast with a transition dunk, which sparked a high-flying 12-0 run by Nova Southeastern as the Sharks extended the lead to 78-37. Head Coach Jim Crutchfield gave the reserve unit some extended run, as Nova Southeastern avenged their lone loss by defeating the PBA Sailfish 94-55.
MJ Iraldi: 31 points, 5-8 3PT, five rebounds, two steals
Dallas Graziani: 10 points, seven assists, four rebounds
Ryker Cisarik: 15 rebounds (T8th all-time in a single game), eight assists, eight points
No. 3 Nova Southeastern hits the road to play Saint Leo in a Sunshine State Conference game at the Marion Bowman Activities Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. To stay up-to-date on Sharks Men’s Basketball, be sure to follow on Instagram & X at NSU_MBasketball.
