by MELBOURNE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern Women’s Basketball team won its 20th game of the season on Wednesday evening, defeating Florida Tech 87-73. The Sharks were led by 22 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists from Madison Frederick and 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists from Kyannah Grant in the Sunshine State conference victory.
First Quarter – Madison Frederick got off to a strong start, scoring the first 6 points of the game for NSU. After back-to-back three-pointers from Mackenzie Steele and Suzan Kinran, the Sharks jumped out to a 12-8 lead just over four minutes into the first quarter. A pair of free throws from Steele and a layup from A’lexus Bryant helped NSU gain a 16-13 lead with just over two minutes remaining. To end the quarter, the Sharks scored on back-to-back possessions from second chance points, with Bryant and Frederick both making shots after an offensive rebound. Nova Southeastern would take a 21-17 lead over Florida Tech into the second quarter.
Second Quarter – Kyannah Grant started the scoring for the Sharks, opening the second quarter with a deep three-pointer that put NSU up 24-17. Steele and Sarei McGill made back-to-back layups that put Nova Southeastern up 29-17 with just over 7 minutes remaining in the half. Contributing to an 11-4 run for NSU, Frederick knocked in a deep three-pointer that gave the Sharks a 32-21 lead. Just as the Panthers went on a 6-0 run, India Shepherd (2), Kyannah Grant (3) and Zeyno Seren (2) got the Sharks back to a 39-29 advantage. Frederick continued her strong first-half, scoring her 13th points of the half on a mid-range that put the Sharks into halftime with a 41-29 lead.
Third Quarter – Picking up right where she left off, Frederick put in a layup on the right side to open the half for NSU. Scoring her first basket of the game, Hailey Conley got on the board with a fast-break layup that extended NSU’s lead to 45-33. As Florida Tech battled back, a layup from Kyannah Grant and a pair of free throws from Shepherd lengthened Nova Southeastern’s lead back to 10. With just over 3 minutes remaining, Steele took the game over, scoring 7 straight points while giving NSU a 56-39 lead. The Sharks caught fire with 80 seconds remaining, going on a 7-2 run with a layup from Bryant, a three-pointer from Kyarrah Grant and a buzzer-beating three-ball from Frederick. NSU ended the third quarter up 64-44, its largest lead of the game.
Fourth Quarter – The Panthers started the fourth quarter strong, going on a 10-2 run that brought the score to 66-54. A jumper from Bryant and free throws by Kyarrah Grant and Frederick helped NSU extend its lead back to 15. Florida Tech kept clawing back, going on an 8-2 run that lowered the deficit to 72-64. Just as the Panthers came back, Kyannah Grant hit a three-point dagger to put NSU up 11 with just over three minutes remaining. Bryant and Frederick made layups on back-to-back possessions that extended the lead to 13. Florida Tech lowered its deficit to 80-73, but four consecutive free throws from Kyannah Grant helped Nova Southeastern close out an 87-73 win.
