MELBOURNE, Fla. – The third-ranked Nova Southeastern Sharks Men’s Basketball team won their third consecutive game, defeating the Florida Tech Panthers 97-70 in a Sunshine State Conference contest on Saturday evening at the Clemente Center. MJ Iraldi had a highly efficient night, shooting 75% from the field, and scored a team-high 20-points in the effort, off the bench, Jamie Qualley netted 12 points in just six minutes of action.
Records: No. 3 Nova Southeastern 16-1, 8-1 SSC | Florida Tech 3-14, 0-9 SSC
Score: No. 3 Nova Southeastern 97 | Florida Tech 70
Location: Clemente Center | Melbourne, Fla.
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First Half – The Sharks started the game on a 9-0 run, as Tyler Eberhart, Ryker Cisarik and Ross Reeves got into the action early. Florida Tech flipped the momentum, outscoring NSU 14-2, as the Panthers took a 14-11 lead forcing Head Coach Jim Crutchfield to take a timeout. MJ Iraldi recorded six consecutive points, before Cisarik knocked down a three-pointer, giving the Sharks a 24-20 lead. Late in the half, a jumper from Tommy Sala pushed the NSU advantage to 37-26 over the Panthers. Cisarik added a pair of free throws, sending the game into halftime with Nova Southeastern leading 49-35.
NSU’s aggressive defensive efforts forced the Panthers into 13 turnovers in the first half, which led to the Sharks outscoring Florida Tech 20-9 off turnovers, and 18-4 in transition in the opening frame.
Nova Southeastern dominated inside the paint in the first half, outscoring the Panthers 24-2.
Second Half – NSU took advantage of a pair of miscues by the Panthers and came out of the break on a 6-0 run, as the Sharks extended their lead to 55-35 in the first three minutes. Nova Southeastern’s reserves preserved the Sharks’ sizable lead, as Ryan Davis and Alex Mangold both added a pair of buckets to give NSU a 70-45 advantage. Late in the game, Jamie Qualley knocked down three consecutive three-pointers, giving Nova Southeastern a 94-61 lead with less than three minutes remaining. The Sharks closed out the 97-70 victory and took full possession of first place in the Sunshine State Conference with the win over Florida Tech.
MJ Iraldi: 20 points, 8-12 FG
Ryker Cisarik: 13 points, 3-4 FG, four rebounds, three assists
Tyler Eberhart: 10 points
Jamie Qualley: 12 points (career-high), 4-6 FG
No. 3 Nova Southeastern is back in action on Wednesday, January 22nd, hosting the Embry-Riddle Eagles in a Sunshine State Conference game at the Rick Case Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. To stay up-to-date on Sharks Men’s Basketball, be sure to follow on Instagram & X at NSU_MBasketball