FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Playing the front end of Saturday’s NCAA D2 Basketball Showcase on ESPN3, the Nova Southeastern women’s basketball team battled with Florida Southern to jockey for position in the late-season conference standings. In a game that saw six ties and 13 lead changes, the margin was mostly within a pair of possessions. However, the Moccasins flouted a gritty Sharks performance, as a lopsided fourth quarter turned the tide toward a 71-62 NSU loss.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
FINAL: L, 62-71
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern Sharks (12-11, 7-9 SSC), Florida Southern Moccasins (16-9, 13-4 SSC)
LOCATION: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
FOLLOW US: @NSUSHARKS on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
HOW IT HAPPENED:
1ST QUARTER | Defense was the winner of the day and the teams delivered in that facet from the opening tip, as Hailey Conley snatched a steal off the first FSC. It took until 7:31 in the opening stanza before any points reached the scoreboard, the first bucket going down on a Janiffer Rodriguez slice down the lane for the layup. However, the Mocs’ Mackenzie Steele put down a three one minute later and the chase was on. The opening period saw eight lead changes, with the Mocs coming out ahead, 14-13, on an Ashley Shell jumper with just four ticks to go.
2ND QUARTER | The second go-around saw the tone of the game remain, as a pair of Conley free throws pushed the Sharks ahead less than a minute into the frame and three lead changes in two minutes ensued. The Mocs finally got a little foothold, reeling off a series of scores that produced a five-point lead twice, ending at 4:25. However, this was the spark the Sharks required. Makenna Drabick’s layup-and-one made room for an Iva Ilic three-pointer to go in front – and Annie Santucci closed out the half with the Sharks on top by four, knocking down a three with 10 seconds remaining. At the half, the Sharks shot 47.8 percent from the floor and were .333 from long range, while holding the Mocs to 33.3 percent from the floor – matched from distance. The Sharks also topped the rebound battle 18-17.
3RD QUARTER | The opening of the second half is when the Sharks started to make a move, kicking off with a pair of Conley free throws. NSU grew its lead to eight points on a free throw pair from Jordan Tully, sparking a big quarter from the Winnipeg, Manitoba senior. The Mocs kept battling back to single-possession games, but Tully twice delivered a key layup to keep the Sharks on top. A three-pointer from Conley pushed the Sharks back out to seven-up. Tully scored 10 with three rebounds in the third as the Sharks held a 50-47 lead over the Mocs after three.
4TH QUARTER | After 15 minutes in the lead for NSU, Florida Southern finally chipped back in front in the final quarter on Marta Aranda’s three-pointer with 7:50 remaining. She dropped in another just 33 seconds later as part of the Mocs’ 14-0 run over the next 5:42 off the clock. Conley, Tully and Santucci split up the remaining NSU scores as the Sharks battled, but NSU couldn’t trim the deficit below three possessions as the contest went final at 71-62 in Florida Southern’s favor. In the final frame, FSC held a 24-12 scoring advantage thanks to 80 percent (8-for-10) shooting down the stretch. Meanwhile, the Sharks were limited to 3-of-12 (25%) shooting in the final frame. The Mocs were able to secure 23 points off turnovers, compared with the Sharks’ 13.
STATS OF THE DAY:
- Scoring 11 of her points in the second half, Tully led all NSU scorers with 17 points on 6-for-13 shooting.
- Tully snapped an 11-game streak for making a block, but has made a rejection in 17 of the last 19 games.
- Tully tied with Conley for the team-best eight rebounds.
- Conley wasn’t far behind on the scoring either, putting up 16 points, largely thanks to a career-best 9-of-12 shooting at the free throw line.
- Adding 12 points to the Sharks’ pot, Santucci made it two consecutive double-figure games. She hit a season-high 4-of-5 free throws and added two steals.
- In the past two games, Santucci has nearly scored as many as she did in the prior 16 games (28 points) with 26 on the pair.
UP NEXT:
The Sharks will travel to West Palm Beach to meet Palm Beach Atlantic next Wednesday, Feb. 19. The Sharks defeated the Sailfish at home on Jan. 15, 76-55, at Rick Case Arena.
SHARKS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Follow along with live updates on Twitter by following @NSU_WBasketball.
