DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Needing just three quarters of action to reach her season-high in points, senior Maria Bardeeva led the Nova Southeastern Sharks women’s basketball team to 67-54 win over the Eagles of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in the final game of the regular season on Saturday afternoon. The win locked up the five-seed for the Sharks in next week’s Sunshine State Conference Tournament.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
FINAL: W, 67-54
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern Sharks (14-13, 10-10 SSC), Embry-Riddle Eagles (9-17, 7-13 SSC)
LOCATION: ICI Center | Daytona Beach, Fla.
FOLLOW US: @NSUSHARKS on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
HOW IT HAPPENED:
1ST QUARTER |Sarah Kelly got the scoring started with a 3-pointer on the first possession, before the Eagles responded with seven straight points. The Eagles used another extended run late in the quarter to take an eight-point lead after the opening frame, 21-13.
2ND QUARTER | The Sharks got three of those points back early into the period, but the Eagles scored the next five to go up by 10 points for the first time. After trading layups, the Sharks exploded on an 11-0 run, holding the Eagles scoreless for over three minutes, a span in which they missed four field goals and a pair of free throws, while the Sharks made five of their seven attempts, taking the lead on a layup by Iva Ilic with three minutes to go in the half. The teams went back and forth for the rest of the way, with Bardeeva tying the game at 34 with a layup of her own, before a combined seven misses in the final 92 seconds kept the score there.
3RD QUARTER | Out of halftime, the game continued where it left off, with the largest lead for either side being a four-point Sharks advantage following a Tully layup and a pair at the line from Bardeeva within the first 69 seconds to start the second half. The Eagles stole the lead back with six in a row, and the Sharks later used a 6-1 run to go back up by three with 2:38 left. But, true to form, the Eagles once again regained control with a layup just before the one minute mark and Bardeeva answered back with her 20th point of the day to bring the period to its conclusion with the Sharks clinging to the one-point lead, 50-49.
4TH QUARTER | The fourth quarter started similarly, with an early Eagles 3-pointer resulting in another lead change. Skyla Osceola tied the game on the next possession, and the Eagles made one of two at the stripe with 7:36 on the clock for a 53-52 edge. From there, the Sharks flat-out dominated, holding the Eagles to just one point for the rest of the game, while forcing eight missed field goals and five turnovers. Meanwhile, Sarah Kelly made back-to-back 3-pointers for the 12th and final lead change of the day, as the Sharks never looked back, kicking off a 10-0 run in under 2:30 and a 15-1 ending for the 67-54 final score.
UP NEXT:
By taking the five-seed in the SSC Tournament, the Sharks manage to avoid the league’s big three of Tampa, Eckerd, and Florida Southern, who all finished 15-5 or better in conference play and each swept the Sharks in both matchups. Instead, they earn the right to travel to Saint Leo for Tuesday’s quarterfinal matchup, where they Sharks previously defeated the Lions 70-67 back on December 7.
SHARKS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Follow along with live updates on Twitter by following @NSU_WBasketball.
