FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern Women’s Basketball team opened up their home campaign at the Rick Case Arena with a 79-56 win over the Shaw Lady Bears on Friday Afternoon. Aubrey Stupp led the way with a career-high 22 points, and Mercedes Simmons also added 21 points to capture the home-opening victory for NSU.
SCORE: No. 22 Nova Southeastern 79, Shaw 56
RECORDS: No. 22 Nova Southeastern 5-1, 1-0 SSC, Shaw 3-3, 1-0 CIAA
LOCATION: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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First Half – The Sharks started fast as they went on a 12-3 run to get the scoring going, led by Mercedes Simmons, who scored seven first-quarter points. The Bears climbed back to make it 12-9, and then Jess Moors ended the Bears’ 6-0 run, as she scored on a huge and one opportunity. This started a 7-0 run to end the first quarter to make it 19-9. The Sharks kept up the defensive intensity, forcing the Bears to turn the ball over 13 times. Mercedes Simmons (13) and Aubrey Stupp (11) were torturing the Bears’ defense as they helped the Sharks score 22 points in the paint, leading NSU to a 37-23 lead going into the half.
Second Half – The Sharks were getting multiple second-chance opportunities, leading to a 9-2 run to begin the half to extend their lead to 19, at 44-25. The Sharks continued their relentless effort on the defensive end and offensively down low as NSU took a 62-40 lead going into the fourth. The Sharks tenacious defense continued to force turnovers, giving NSU a 74-51 lead with two minutes left. Dash Shaw capped off the game with a putback layup to secure the victory for NSU, 79-56.
Head Coach LeAnn Freeland-Curry – We had a great team win today. Even though we had a lot of trouble with Shaw’s size, we made adjustments throughout the game to help us score. Aubrey and Mercedes were outstanding to establish our inside game early and our guards did a great job getting the ball in their hands. Our players worked very hard on both ends to secure the win.
Aubrey Stupp – I’m really proud of our team today. We limited our turnovers and pounded the paint, which worked to our advantage. We still have things to improve but we are headed in the right direction.
Nova Southeastern will return to the Rick Case Arena on Saturday, November 30th, for a home matchup against Georgian Court University. Tip-off is set for 2:00 PM.
