Lucky No. 7! Sharks Run Win Streak to Seven with 112-76 Victory over Florida Tech

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Up to No. 5 in the national poll this week, Nova Southeastern certainly looked the part, cruising past Florida Tech en route to a 112-76 win Saturday at the Rick Case Arena. Sekou Sylla poured in 21 of his season-high 28 points in the first half, as the Sharks forced a collective 29 turnovers to improve to 4-0 in Sunshine State Conference action.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: No. 5 Nova Southeastern 112, Florida Tech 76
Records: No. 5 Nova Southeastern (7-0, 4-0 SSC), Florida Tech (8-2, 3-1 SSC)
Location: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Get Social: Twitter – @NSU_MBasketball | Instagram – @NSU_MBasketball

HOW IT HAPPENED:
1st Half | Florida Tech gave NSU some problems early with its zone defense, as the Sharks opened just 2-of-9 from the field and 0-of-4 from beyond the arc. Head coach Jim Crutchfield received an instant spark off the bench, though, from both Shane Hunter and Lukas Speidel, who combined for 15 points alone in the first half. As part of a 9-0 run in a matter of 44 seconds, NSU turned a missed Florida Tech dunk on one end into a transition three-pointer by Hunter on the other, pushing the Sharks’ advantage to 13-4. The Panthers trimmed the margin back to 16-14 until Sylla cleaned up a loose ball for an easy bucket to end the Florida Tech spurt. NSU’s lead stretched back to nine following a Nick Smith pull-up jumper, and would reach double-digits for the first time on the ensuing possession after another Sylla make at the 8:16 mark. The Sharks found themselves up 37-22 thanks to a steal and lay-in by Sylla before the margin climbed to 42-24 on an old-fashioned, three-point play by Speidel. After committing only two first-half turnovers, and forcing the Panthers into 17, NSU entered the locker room comfortably in front, 48-25.

2nd Half | With plenty of breathing room, NSU hit the cruise control button throughout much of the second half. Despite being held scoreless on 0-of-6 shooting in the opening 20 minutes, RJ Sunahara found his rhythm after the break, erasing the personal goose egg with a two-handed slam with 18:13 remaining.
About a minute later, his blocked shot started a fastbreak for the Sharks, as Dallas Graziani made a spin move in transition before finishing for the easy, left-handed lay-in to build the lead out to 55-32. A quick 7-0 stretch by the Panthers narrowed the gap back to 59-42, yet NSU would put a stop to the run with a Speidel jumper, and eventually widen the margin to 82-52 on a Hunter lay-in midway through the half. Hunter followed up the easy deuce with a dunk when Tommy Sala soon joined in on the fun, draining a triple from the top of the key to push the lead to 87-52. Crutchfield had seen enough at that point, emptying his bench with roughly eight minutes to go, as his team rolled to the 112-76 victory.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

  • Florida Tech entered Saturday on an eight-game win streak, and was one of four teams still unbeaten in SSC play.
  • The Sharks have now surpassed the century mark in each of the past two games, and three times overall this season.

STATS OF THE NIGHT:

  • Sylla (28) led five NSU players in double-figure scoring Saturday, joined by Speidel (14), Sunahara (14), Hunter (11) and Graziani (10).
  • Smith set a career high with 14 assists, giving him double-digit helpers for the second straight contest and third overall this season. He also added six steals.
  • Right at its season average, NSU forced 29 turnovers on the night, resulting in 39 points on the offensive end.
  • The Sharks shot 65.7 percent in the second half following a 40.4 percent performance in the first.

UP NEXT:
Beginning a stretch of three consecutive non-conference matchups, NSU will play host to Ave Maria at 4 p.m. on Tues., Dec. 14. For complete coverage of the action, visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Twitter @NSU_MBasketball.

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