by BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern women’s basketball team kicked off Sunshine State Conference play with a 70-66 victory over Lynn University on Wednesday night at the de Hoernle Sports and Cultural Center.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
1ST QUARTER | Lynn jumped out to a 5-0 lead within the first 1:40, forcing the Sharks to call a timeout. The quick break was all the Sharks needed as they returned to the floor with a 15-0 run for a 10-point lead, 15-5, at the 4:05 mark. Lynn outscored the Sharks 12-7 in the remaining time, but not enough to catch up to NSU as the visitors on the board went into the second with a 22-17 lead.
2ND QUARTER | The Sharks continued to keep the momentum on their side throughout the second, outscoring the Fighting Knights 19-17 for a 41-34 edge heading into the break. At the 4:32 mark, Lynn cut the deficit to two, 34-32, with an and-one by Juju Uloma, but NSU used a 7-2 run to close out the frame and keep the Knights seven points away, 41-34.
3RD QUARTER | A 10-2 run by the Knights gave the home team its first lead since the first quarter, 44-43, at the 5:42 mark before a three-pointer by Cheray Saunders put the Sharks back on top, 46-44, a minute later. NSU increased its lead to seven points, 51-44, with 2:10 left before Lynn started to chip away at their lead with a 7-0 run, knotting the game 51-51 with one quarter to go.
4TH QUARTER | The home team continued its run into the fourth quarter, tallying five unanswered points for a 56-51 edge at the 7:34 mark. A layup by Maria Bardeeva and back-to-back jumpers by Kayla Wright and Saunders, all in 1:18, gave the Sharks back the lead, 57-56. A 6-0 run by the Knights tied Lynn’s biggest lead of the game, five points, to make it 62-57 in their favor with 4:22 left. The Sharks called for a timeout to get their minds right, and did, coming back with an 8-0 run to steal back the lead, 65-62 with 1:42 left on the clock. A pair of made free throws by Lynn’s Mariah Penascino cut the deficit to one, 67-66, with less than a minute left but free throws by Amanda Tivenius and Saunders ensured NSU’s 70-66 victory.
INSIDE THE STATS:
- Wright was a perfect 9-of-9 from the field, helping her towards a team-high 20 points. She also added a game-high three blocks.
- Saunders joined Wright in double figures with 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the floor and 4-of-6 from the line. She also recorded five boards, three assists and three steals.
- Skyla Osceola pulled down a team-high seven boards, adding three assists.
- Natalia Leaks also had six rebounds in total.
- NSU put up 36 points from the bench, and 17 points off of turnovers.
- Overall, the Sharks outshot the Knights 48.3 percent to 35.2 percent from the field.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- Wright’s 20 points tied her season high, and also made it her third-straight game scoring in double digits.
- Saunders put up a great performance, tallying season-highs in points, rebounds and steals.
- Osceola’s seven boards were a career-high.
- Tonight’s win was NSU’s third-straight SSC opener victory.
- The overall series against Lynn now sits at 23-14 in the Sharks’ favor.
UP NEXT
The Sharks will have their home opener this Saturday evening against the Tampa Spartans in the Rick Case Arena. The game is slated to begin at 5:30 p.m.
