FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – In their first game ranked as the top-ranked team in the NCAA Division II landscape, the No. 1 Nova Southeastern Sharks Men’s Basketball team defeated Florida National 120-64 on Wednesday evening at the Rick Case Arena. All 12 players for the Sharks got into the score-book, with five scoring in double-digits. MJ Iraldi led the effort with 19 points, Tyler Eberhart added 15 of his own, while Alex Mangold (14), Tommy Sala (11) and Jarvis Wright (10) contributed off the bench.
No. 1 Nova Southeastern has now won 66 consecutive games at the Rick Case Arena.
Records: No. 1 Nova Southeastern 6-0 | Florida National 0-5
Score: No. 1 Nova Southeastern 120 | Florida National 64
Location: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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First Half – NSU raced out to an early 7-2 lead over the Conquistadors, as MJ Iraldi, Ross Reeves and Tyler Eberhart got involved early. Nova Southeastern and Florida National traded buckets, but the Sharks held a 29-19 lead midway through the opening half. Solid effort by Eli Allen on the offensive glass gave the Sharks a 41-27 lead as the sophomore converted a second chance opportunity. Iraldi scored four consecutive points, giving Nova Southeastern a 47-26 advantage. Jamie Qualley, Jarvus Wright, Tommy Sala and Ryker Cisarik helped the Sharks go into the break leading 58-31 over Florida National.
Second Half – A fast-break dunk by Eberhart, set up by a block from Allen, opened up the flood gates as Nova Southeastern extended the lead to 68-38. A 10-0 run for NSU, which began with back-to-back three pointers from Ryan Davis and Dallas Graziani, pushed the Sharks’ advantage to 92-41 with 11 minutes left in the game. Cisarik converted a lay-up, set up by Alex Sessoms, as NSU surpassed the 100-point threshold for the sixth consecutive game, leading 101-50 with seven minutes remaining. A dunk from Sala pushed the Nova Southeastern lead to 120-60 before NSU closed out the 120-64 victory and improved to 6-0 on the season, winning their 66th consecutive game at the Rick Case Arena.
Head Coach Jim Crutchfield – “On a game like today, we were getting the ball to the rim but shot 1-12 from three in the first half, I always want our guys to look for the best opportunity to score on every possession. We had the chance to go deeper into our bench and get guys some live action. We’re looking forward to opening up Sunshine State Conference action against Rollins.”
MJ Iraldi: 19 points, three steals, three assists
Tyler Eberhart: 15 points, six rebounds, two steals
Alex Mangold: 14 points, six rebounds, 6-7 FG
Tommy Sala: 11 points (career-high), 5-9 FG
Jarvis Wright (making collegiate debut): 10 points, five rebounds
No. 1 Nova Southeastern begins their quest for a fourth consecutive Sunshine State Conference regular season title, taking on the Rollins Tars on Saturday, November 23rd. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Alfond Sports Center. To stay up-to-date on Sharks Men’s Basketball, be sure to follow on Instagram and X at NSU_MBasketball.
