Nova Southeastern University recently issued the following announcement.
No. 6 NSU overcomes first-half struggles to beat Eckerd in SSC clash
No. 6 Nova Southeastern started slow before shooting a whopping 69 percent from the field in the second half en route to a 79-60 victory on the road at Eckerd in Sunshine State Conference play on Saturday. Four players scored in double figures for the Sharks, including Sekou Sylla, who turned in his fourth double-double already this season, while the NSU defense forced 32 turnovers for the second consecutive ball game.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: No. 6 Nova Southeastern 79, Eckerd 60
Records: No. 6 Nova Southeastern (5-0, 3-0 SSC), Eckerd (1-7, 0-3 SSC)
Location: McArthur Center | St. Petersburg, Fla.
Get Social: Twitter - @NSU_MBasketball | Instagram - @NSU_MBasketball
HOW IT HAPPENED:
1st Half | Entering Saturday averaging nearly 97 points per game, the Sharks were limited to just 28 points on 34.4 percent shooting in the opening 20 minutes. NSU trailed 10-8 just past the midway point of the half before knotting up the score on a fastbreak lay-in by Sylla. The offensive struggles were aided by the defensive effort, though, as a pair of turnovers turned into two more lay-ups by RJ Sunahara and Sylla, handing NSU a 16-10 cushion at the 7:20 mark. A Nick Smith steal and lay-in extended the lead to eight with 3:20 to play, with the Sharks eventually entering the break ahead 28-21.
2nd Half | Scoring all 13 of his points in the second half, Lukas Speidel sparked the Sharks with five quick points out of the locker room to stretch the advantage to 35-23. Cashing in on more Eckerd miscues, Mike Moore pushed the Sharks' lead to 15 on a steal and score before a pair of putbacks by Sunahara and Sylla pushed the lead all the way out to 47-28 with just under 14 minutes remaining. The advantage reached 20 on a Speidel old-fashioned, three-point play, which is where it would stay following a Smith three-pointer with 6:50 left. The NSU defense would hold the Tritons to just four points for a span of 4:38, furthering the margin to as many as 24 in the process, allowing head coach Jim Crutchfield to empty the bench in the final moments of NSU's first road win of the season.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- Now 3-0 in SSC play, NSU has beaten its three league foes by an average of 15.7 points per game.
- The Sharks have forced a combined 64 turnovers in their previous two contests, giving them a nation-best average of 27.8 per game.
- Sylla has now registered four double-doubles in his first five games as a Shark. The rest of the team has notched just one combined.
- Sunahara finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 17 points and nine boards.
- Along with his 12 points, Smith tallied six assists to just one turnover, in addition to collecting five steals.
- Both teams shot a combined 0-of-15 from beyond the arc in the first half. Speidel hit two of NSU's four triples in the second half.
The Sharks will welcome Florida Memorial to the Rick Case Arena for a non-conference matchup next Wednesday, Dec. 8 at 4 p.m. For complete coverage of the action, visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball.
Original source can be found here.
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