SAINT LEO, Fla. – Led by a second consecutive, sixth overall, 30-point game by MJ Iraldi, the third-ranked Nova Southeastern Sharks Men’s Basketball team won its tenth consecutive game, defeating the Saint Leo Lions 102-73 on Saturday evening at the Marion Bowman Center. With NSU’s victory and a loss by Florida Southern, Nova Southeastern has now clinched at least a share of the Sunshine State Conference regular season championship for the fourth consecutive season.
Head Coach Jim Crutchfield improves to 13-0 versus Saint Leo as the Nova Southeastern Men’s Basketball Coach.
Records: No. 3 Nova Southeastern 23-1, 15-1 SSC | Saint Leo 10-15, 5-12 SSC
Score: No. 3 Nova Southeastern 102 | Saint Leo 73
Location: Marion Bowman Center | Saint Leo, Fla.
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First Half – Dallas Graziani and MJ Iraldi combined to open the game by making five three-pointers, giving the Sharks a 15-8 lead within five minutes. Tyler Eberhart finished a pair of lay-ups, starting an 8-2 run for NSU, pushing the advantage to 23-10. Graziani hit his fourth three-pointer of the first half before Iraldi recorded six consecutive points for the Sharks, as NSU opened up a 32-16 lead with under nine minutes remaining in the half. Nova Southeastern went into the halftime break leading 56-40 over the Lions, as Iraldi closed out the opening half by scoring the final seven points for NSU.
Second Half – In the early minutes of the second half, Eli Allen notched a steal and immediately followed with a fast-break lay-up, giving NSU a 60-42 lead. Ryker Cisarik started a 14-2 run for the Sharks, which spanned over five minutes of game action, as Nova Southeastern was able to push the lead to 77-53 over the Lions. Alex Mangold notched a three-point bucket, giving the Sharks a 30-point advantage with just over six minutes remaining. Nova Southeastern closed out its tenth consecutive victory, beating Saint Leo – for the 13th time under head coach Jim Crutchfield – 102-73.
MJ Iraldi: 30 points (sixth time this season), 12-21 FG, 4-6 3PT
Dallas Graziani: 21 points, six assists, 5-7 3PT
Tyler Eberhart: 10 points, six rebounds, six assists, 5-6 FG
Ryker Cisarik: 10 points, five rebounds, 5-8 FG
No. 3 Nova Southeastern will look to clinch the program’s fourth consecutive Sunshine State Conference Regular Season Championship on Wednesday, February 19th, as the Sharks travel to take on No. 21 Florida Southern at the Jenkins Field House in Lakeland, Fla. To stay up-to-date on Sharks Men’s Basketball, be sure to follow on Instagram & X at NSU_MBasketball.
