FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Welcome to March. The second-ranked Nova Southeastern Sharks closed out the regular season by outlasting the Rollins Tars with a 75-71 victory on Saturday evening at the Rick Case Arena. MJ Iraldi scored a game-high 26 points, going 10-18 from the field, while Ross Reeves (16 points) and Ryker Cisarik (14) both scored in double-figures. Prior to the game, Nova Southeastern honored MJ Iraldi, Tyler Eberhart, Tommy Sala, Ryker Cisarik, and Alex Mangold with a senior day ceremony.
The Sharks have now won 78 consecutive games at the Rick Case Arena, two shy of the NCAA Division II record, dating back to February 26, 2020. NSU also completed the program’s fourth consecutive undefeated regular season at home.
Records: No. 2 Nova Southeastern 27-1, 19-1 SSC | Rollins 16-13, 9-11 SSC
Score: No. 2 Nova Southeastern 75 | Rollins 71
Location: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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First Half – MJ Iraldi carried over his offensive prowess from Wednesday night, scoring six-of-eight points for the Sharks as NSU led 8-6 over Rollins in the game’s opening minutes. Tyler Eberhart netted back-to-back buckets for the Sharks before the Tars tied the game at 13-13. Alex Mangold and Ross Reeves both knocked down three-pointers as part of an 8-3 run for the Sharks, putting NSU ahead 21-16 as the first half approached the midway point. Nova Southeastern opened up a nine-point advantage, 28-19, following a three-pointer from Mangold and a dunk by Eberhart. Rollins cut their deficit to just four points, before back-to-back buckets from Iraldi and Ryker Cisarik gave the Sharks a 34-26 advantage. Rollins closed the half on an 11-2 run, as NSU went into the break trailing 37-36.
Second Half – The Sharks and Tars battled back-and-forth in the opening minutes of the second half, as Reeves scored five consecutive points for Nova Southeastern, giving NSU a 41-39 lead. Rollins kept the game within one possession, before a 7-0 run gave the Tars a 53-49 lead midway through the half. Iraldi and Dallas Graziani each knocked down clutch three-pointers, reclaiming the lead for the Sharks with the score at 61-60 with less than seven minutes remaining in the game. Reeves hit back-to-back three pointers, giving NSU a 67-64 lead late in the game. Iraldi closed out the Tars by scoring the final eight points for Nova Southeastern, as the Sharks closed out Rollins 75-71,
MJ Iraldi: 26 points, 10-18 FG, nine rebounds
Ross Reeves: 16 points, 6-10 FG
Ryker Cisarik: 14 points, 6-13 FG
The four-time defending Sunshine State Conference regular season champion Nova Southeastern Sharks will look to win the SSC Championship tournament for the fourth consecutive year beginning on Tuesday, March 4th, against the eighth-seeded Barry Buccaneers at the Rick Case Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. To stay up-to-date on Sharks Men’s Basketball, be sure to follow on Instagram & X at NSU_MBasketball.
