LAKELAND, Fla. – Led by 31 points from MJ Iraldi, seven Sharks scored in double-digits, as the top-ranked Nova Southeastern Men’s Basketball team defeated the Eckerd Tritons 113-74 from the George W. Jenkins Fieldhouse on the campus of Florida Southern on Saturday afternoon. Joining Iraldi with double-digit points were Tyler Eberhart (12), Ryker Cisarik (11), Ross Reeves (18), Dallas Graziani (13), Ryan Davis (12) and Eli Allen (10).
Records: No. 1 Nova Southeastern 13-0, 5-0 SSC | Eckerd 7-7, 2-4 SSC
Score: No. 1 Nova Southeastern 113 | Eckerd 74
Location: George W. Jenkins Fieldhouse | Lakeland, Fla.
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First Half – Early on in the Sunshine State Conference match-up, both the Sharks and Tritons traded buckets back and forth, with NSU taking an 11-10 lead following a basket from Tyler Eberhart off an assist from Dallas Graziani. Halfway through the opening half, Nova Southeastern trailed the Tritons 27-23, but Ross Reeves quickly made two consecutive three-pointers, reclaiming the lead for NSU. MJ Iraldi scored the final five points of the half for NSU, including making a buzzer-beating three-pointer, as the Sharks outscored Eckerd 14-3 over the final 3:38 of the first half, heading into the break leading 53-42.
Second Half – Nova Southeastern continued to control the momentum to open the second half, starting out on an 8-2 run, as Ryker Cisarik, Eberhart and Graziani got involved, pushing the lead to 61-44. A three-point bucket from Graziani extended the Sharks’ advantage to 20-points for the first time on the game (66-46). Nova Southeastern took full control of the contest, as the Sharks continued to extend their advantage, leading 83-53 after a lay-up from Iraldi. Nova Southeastern surpassed the 100-point mark with over four minutes remaining in the game, following a second chance bucket from Ryan Davis. The Sharks sealed the 113-74 victory over Eckerd, improving to 13-0 on the season.
MJ Iraldi: 31 points, 13-18 FG, six rebounds, three steals
Ross Reeves: 18 points, 7-14 FG, 4-8 3P, three steals
Dallas Graziani: 13 points
Tyler Eberhart: 12 points, 5-7 FG, seven rebounds, six assists
Ryan Davis: 12 points, 5-6 FG, seven rebounds
Ryker Cisarik: 11 points, 5-9 FG
Eli Allen: 10 points, 4-6 FG
No. 1 Nova Southeastern returns to action on Wednesday, January 8th, taking on Palm Beach Atlantic at the Rubin 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.
