ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – A hot-shooting Eckerd Tritons team proved to be too much in the second half for the Nova Southeastern women’s basketball team, as a late-game push secured the outcome after the Sharks drew the game to just two possessions in the third quarter of Saturday’s Sunshine State Conference matchup at the McArthur Center, ending in a 68-50 Sharks loss.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
FINAL: L, 50-68
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern University Sharks (10-11, 6-8 SSC), Eckerd College Tritons (15-5, 11-3 SSC)
LOCATION: McArthur Center| St. Petersburg, Fla.
FOLLOW US: @NSUSHARKS on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
HOW IT HAPPENED:
1ST QUARTER | A slow start for the Sharks coupled with a quick outburst from the Tritons offense to put NSU in an early hole. Across the first 3:25, EC jumped out to an 11-0 lead before Jordan Tully dropped the first NSU points on the board with a layup at 6:24. However, the Tritons responded with threes over the next two possessions, split by an Annie Santucci jumper. Over the final four minutes, Makenna Drabick, Sarah Kelly and Tully teamed up to trim the deficit to nine at the quarter break – while the defense forced six EC misses and nabbed a steal. The Sharks shot just 28.6 percent in the opening period, while the Tritons grew hot at 42.9 percent, Eckerd grabbing 11 defensive rebounds.
2ND QUARTER | A layup-and one from Hailey Conley swiped the deficit down to six in the first 37 seconds of the quarter, but EC responded with five rapid points to extend back out to 11. Freshman Clara Prasse got her best game to date under way in the second, twice bringing the lead down to eight from long range and then the line. However, a trio of free throws from Mar Ibern and Octavia Loll carried the Tritons to a 30-19 halftime advantage. The Sharks first half shooting stayed at 23.3 percent, but NSU began to cool the Tritons, dropping limiting Eckerd to just three field goals in the second period; NSU also allowing just a single offensive rebound in the second. In spite of the deficit, NSU protected the ball, allowing just five first half turnovers. At the break, Prasse and Conley were the highest of six NSU scorers with five points apiece.
3RD QUARTER | Another three in the first 13 seconds of the half, this time from Kelly, along with a second and-one converted by Conley sliced the gap to six points. Conley added another and-one to bring the same margin following the Triton response. With 7:17 on the clock, Esabelle Levine cut the margin to five and then at 5:36 a pair of Drabick free throws took it the closest point of the afternoon – the teams separated by just four points. The Eckerd timeout at 5:05 proved to be a turning point, as the Tritons launched into an 18-5 run to close out the period. The Sharks shot an improved 31.3 percent in the third and added four three-pointers to the book. However, once the Tritons got moving, EC closed the third shooting 57.1 percent, 3-for-5 from long range and 6-for-8 from the line to enter the final quarter with a 55-38 margin.
4TH QUARTER | A three-point play from Drabick was the last NSU scoring to battle the Tritons’ 23-point lead before both teams went ice cold across a five-minute scoreless stretch that saw three turnovers from each squad. Coming back online, EC put down two quick layups to reach its largest lead at 27. The Sharks closed out the game with three consecutive threes between Prasse and Drabick in the 68-50 Sharks loss. EC ratcheted up the offensive output in the second half with six threes and 50 percent shooting (13-for-26) from the field, while NSU finished with 28.1 percent shooting in the half.
INSIDE THE STATS:
- A high in just the second month of her career, Prasse led all NSU scorers with 14 points, shooting 4-for-5 from long range, while also chipping in two steals and a rebound.
- Drabick went 3-for-4 from both the field and the free throw line for 10 points – her third double-digit output of the season.
- The sophomore transfer from Eastern Michigan, Drabick led the team with seven rebounds, chipping in one assist.
- Limited to just four points and five rebounds in 21 minutes, Tully was held to her lowest scoring total of the season.
- Conley also chipped in eight points and four rebounds.
- At 25.8 percent team shooting from the field, the Sharks were held to their lowest shooting average of the year, producing the second-lowest scoring total of the campaign.
- The Sharks gained 60 percent of their scoring off the bench, chalking up 30 points from the reserves – while the Tritons relied almost completely on the efforts of starts, their bench only producing eight points.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- Knocking down two more rejections, the Sharks blocks per game average sits at 3.43 to remain atop the Sunshine State Conference in the stat.
- Prasse made her first real scoring move with 80 percent shooting from distance on a career day, but also saw her first real minutes, jumping from 1.6 mpg to 23 minutes against the Tritons.
UP NEXT:
The Sharks will return to action at home for a two-game homestand, starting with Lynn on Feb. 12 at Rick Case Arena at 5:30 p.m. The Knights downed NSU 78-71 on Jan. 8 in Boca Raton.
SHARKS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Follow along with live updates on Twitter by following @NSU_WBasketball. Also, follow on Facebook at /nsuwbasketball and Instagram with the handle @NSU_WBasketball.
