FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The second-ranked Nova Southeastern Sharks Men’s Basketball team tied the NCAA Division II record with the program’s 80th consecutive home court victory, defeating the fifth-seeded Tampa Spartans 104-80 in the Sunshine State Conference Semifinal on Thursday evening at the Rick Case Arena. Ryker Cisarik, a second-team all-Sunshine State Conference honoree, led NSU in the effort scoring 26 points, shooting 11-12 from the field – making all three of his three-point attempts – and recorded 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. Dallas Graziani tallied his 13th double-double of the campaign, scoring 17 points and adding 12 assists.
Head Coach Jim Crutchfield improves to 16-0 against the Spartans in his career as the Head Coach of the Sharks.
NSU has advanced to the Sunshine State Conference Championship game for the program’s sixth consecutive season of competition – 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025.
Records: No. 2 Nova Southeastern 29-1 | Tampa 20-10
Score: No. 2 Nova Southeastern 104 | Tampa 80
Location: Rick Case Arena| Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Get Social: Instagram & X – NSU_MBasketball
Press Conference
First Half – The points were coming fast and furious in the opening minutes of the semifinal clash, as both the Sharks and Spartans traded buckets back-and-forth over the opening four minutes of play. Tommy Sala scored five consecutive points for NSU, giving Nova Southeastern a 15-12 lead. The offenses continued to fly up and down the court, as Nova Southeastern led 32-28 midway through the first half. The Sharks began to pull away from Tampa late in the first half, as Ryker Cisarik knocked down a three-pointer, which started a 9-3 run, as NSU extended the lead to 51-42. Cisarik closed the half with the final five points for the Sharks, sending Nova Southeastern into the break leading 56-47 over the Spartans.
Second Half – NSU wasted no time in putting the contest out of reach in the early minutes of the second half, as NSU started on a 10-2 run and extending the lead to 66-49 over Tampa. Midway through the second half, Eberhart extended the NSU advantage to 82-61 with a pair of free throws. Cisarik tallied 6-of-8 points for NSU, including an emphatic dunk, off a pair of assists from Ryan Davis as NSU took a 93-67 lead. The Sharks closed out their 80th consecutive home court victory, defeating the Tampa Spartans 104-80.
Ryker Cisarik: 26 points, 11-12 FG, 10 rebounds (fifth double-double)
Dallas Graziani: 17 points, 12 assists (13th double-double)
Tyler Eberhart: 15 points, six rebounds
Ross Reeves: 15 points, six assists
Tommy Sala: 10 points, 4-4 FG
The second-ranked Nova Southeastern Sharks will host the second-seeded Florida Southern Moccasins on Sunday, March 9th, at the Rick Case Arena. NSU will play for both the program’s fourth consecutive Sunshine State Conference tournament championship and the NCAA Division II record for consecutive home court victories. To stay up-to-date on Sharks Men’s Basketball, be sure to follow on Instagram & X at NSU_MBasketball.
