Historic Shooting Night Sends Sharks to SSC Semis

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The nation’s No. 1 shooting team certainly looked the part on Tuesday night, as second-seeded Nova Southeastern opened Sunshine State Conference Tournament play in commanding fashion, beating seventh-seeded Rollins by a final score of 115-81 in quarterfinal action. The Sharks shot a program-record 67.2 percent from the field, including an eye-popping 21-of-32 from beyond the arc, and led by 20 points less than eight minutes into the ball game en route to victory. Mikkel Kolstad paved the way offensively with a game-high 23 points, while five others also reached double figures.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: No. 20 Nova Southeastern 115, Rollins 81
Records: No. 20 Nova Southeastern (22-5), Rollins (14-15)
Location: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Get Social: Twitter – @NSU_MBasketball | Instagram – @NSU_MBasketball

HOW IT HAPPENED:
1st Half | Kolstad didn’t take long to heat up on Tuesday, draining a pair of three-pointers within NSU’s first three possessions to push the Sharks out to an instant 6-0 advantage. The offense would prove to only be getting started, too, as NSU then forced the Tars to call timeout after Mark Matthews found Shane Hunter in transition for a one-handed slam. Still with 13:38 to play, Nick Smith hit Eddie Puisis in the corner for a trey to stretch the margin to 20-5, forcing another Rollins timeout. A give-and-go between Hunter and Smith built the lead to 20 before a quick seven points off the bench by Lukas Speidel made it a 34-12 ball game just past the midway point of the half. Rollins trimmed the margin back to 15, yet the Sharks responded with 10 unanswered points, including six from Puisis, over a span of 1:54 to gain a 47-22 advantage with 4:37 left. A steal and finish by Matthews in the ensuing moments, followed by Puisis’ fifth triple of the half, extended the advantage to 30, which is where it would remain as NSU entered the break comfortably in front 61-31.

2nd Half | Similar to the first half, Kolstad drilled three’s on two of NSU’s opening three possessions to keep the lead at 69-38. Rollins would get only as close as 28 until Kolstad connected on his seventh three of the night at the 14:06 mark. Still well in control, a kick-out from Matthews to Smith for three more grew the margin to 91-61. Taking advantage of a Tars turnover, Matthews hit RJ Sunahara on a back cut the next time down for an easy dunk before head coach Jim Crutchfield pulled his starters with 6:40 to go and the game all but decided.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

  • The Sharks’ 33 assists on Tuesday set a new NCAA-era record since the program joined Division II back in 2002-03.
  • The 21 made three-pointers matched the all-time record for the most in a single game.
  • NSU’s 115 points marked the second most ever scored in an SSC Tournament contest, trailing only Florida Southern, who racked up 121 in the 1988 semifinals.
  • The 34-point win is also the largest margin of victory in an SSC Tournament game since Florida Southern beat Florida Tech by 49 back in 2009.

STATS OF THE NIGHT:

  • The Sharks received huge contributions from their bench, outscoring Rollins’ reserves by a combined 54-18 margin, including 37-5 in the first half alone. Puisis finished the night with 17 points, while Speidel and Hunter added 15 and 11, respectively.
  • Led by Kolstad’s seven, eight NSU players recorded at least one three-point make in the effort. The senior shot 19-of-32 from beyond the arc in three meetings with Rollins this season.
  • Matthews notched his seventh double-double of the season, totaling 14 points and a game-high 10 assists.
  • NSU’s defense forced Rollins into 24 turnovers, 18 of those coming in the opening 20 minutes.

UP NEXT:
Faced with a quick two-day turnaround, NSU will now turn its attention towards Thursday’s semifinal clash at home against No. 3 seed Palm Beach Atlantic. Both sides split the regular season series, with each team winning on its home floor. For complete coverage of the 7 p.m. tip-off, visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball.

 

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