FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Survive and Advance. In the third match-up of the season between the Sunshine State Conference rivals, the second-ranked Nova Southeastern Sharks Men’s Basketball team outlasted the Lynn Fighting Knights with an 80-72 victory in the NCAA South Region Tournament semifinals at the Rick Case Arena. Ryker Cisarik led the Sharks scoring 31 points, adding seven rebounds, and three blocks in his return to the lineup. MJ Iraldi added 17 points and a career-best 16 rebounds for NSU.
The victory marked Head Coach Jim Crutchfield‘s 200th win at Nova Southeastern. The Sharks improved to 19-3 in the NCAA Tournament under Crutchfield.
The Sharks extended their NCAA Division II consecutive home court winning streak to 83 straight games since February 26, 2020.
Records: No. 2 Nova Southeastern 32-1 | Lynn 21-9
Score: No. 2 Nova Southeastern 80 | Lynn 72
Location: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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First Half – The Fighting Knights began the game with a barrage of three-pointers, hitting their first seven attempts from beyond the arc and led 27-21 over NSU. MJ Iraldi and Dallas Graziani scored seven points as the Sharks tied the game at 31-31. Ryker Cisarik scored five consecutive points for NSU, with a dunk and a three-pointer, once again tying the game at 36-36 with less than five minutes remaining in the first half. The Sharks trailed 46-39 late in the opening half but Tyler Eberhart forced back-to-back stops for the Sharks, adding a transition bucket, before Eli Allen beat the buzzer with a lay-up and sent the Sharks into the break down 46-43.
Second Half – The Sharks maintained their momentum from the closing minutes of the first half, beginning the second half on a 7-0 run as Eberhart, Cisarik and Ross Reeves all contributed on the scoreboard giving NSU a 50-46 lead. Nova Southeastern and Lynn traded buckets back-and-forth, as the Fighting Knights put the score at 54-53 before Iraldi, Graziani and Cisarik quickly pushed the Sharks lead to 65-53. Five consecutive points from Iraldi with less than six minutes in the game maintained a double digit lead for NSU. Cisarik closed the game out for NSU with a pair of clutch buckets, including an emphatic dunk, as the Sharks sealed the 80-72 victory over Lynn.
Ryker Cisarik: 31 points, seven rebounds, three blocks
MJ Iraldi: 17 points, 16 rebounds
The Sharks will take on the third-ranked Alabama-Huntsville Chargers, winners of 32 consecutive games since losing 105-104 to NSU in their opening game of the 2024-25 season, in the NCAA South Region Championship with a spot in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight on the line at the Rick Case Arena on Tuesday, March 18th. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. To stay up-to-date on Sharks Men’s Basketball, be sure to follow on Instagram & X at NSU_MBasketball.
