Box Score DAVIE - Florida Southern and Nova Southeastern showed why they are the top two teams in the Sunshine State Conference here Saturday afternoon as the 11th-ranked Sharks hung on for an 81-79 overtime victory over the Moccasins at NSU Arena at Don Taft University Center.
Saturday's game was broadcast on ESPN3 as part of the NCAA Division II National Game of the Week package and the fans watching were treated to an instant classic.
"I am proud of our team. It was a great game and we really battled out there today, especially after being down 14 at the half," Moccasin head coach Betsy Harris said following her team's first overtime game of the season. "It shows a lot about our team being able to come back like we did against a very good team."
The first half belonged to the Sharks as they shot 57 percent from the field and 64 percent from the 3-point line to go into halftime holding a 49-35 lead.
The second half was controlled by the Mocs as they outscored the Sharks, 20-4 in the third quarter to take a 55-53 lead heading into the fourth quarter. NSU, though, would outscore the Mocs, 18-16 in the final quarter to force overtime. FSC held a 36-22 edge in second half.
In the second half, NSU shot 26 percent from the field and 25 percent from the 3-point line.
"We were much better defensively in the second half," Harris said following her team's first loss since suffering a 73-61 setback at home on Dec. 5 to Florida Tech. The loss snapped FSC's six-game winning streak and also snapped its six-game road winning streak.
The Mocs, who trailed by four at 63-59 with 6:46 left in the fourth quarter, would force overtime after senior guard Shaquita Snow (Racine, Wis.) hit two free throws with 23 seconds left. Snow's two free throws helped cap a 12-8 run by the Mocs to close the quarter.
In overtime, the teams took turns holding the lead, until Molly Blomer drilled a trey with 2:16 left in extra session to give the Sharks a 78-77 lead. NSU would extend its lead to 80-77 on the next possession thanks to lay-up by Kayla Wright with 1:44 left in the contest.
The Mocs, though, wouldn't go away without a fight as senior forward Mariah Harris (Gainesville, Fla.) brought the Mocs within a point at 80-79 following a lay-up with 1:16 remaining. On NSU's ensuing possession, Taylor Buie was whistled for an offensive foul and that gave the Mocs a chance to take the lead, but a lay-up by Snow with 50 seconds missed.
After another turnover by the Sharks with 27 seconds left, the Mocs got another opportunity to take the lead, but once again a missed lay-up by Snow with seven seconds left kept the score at 80-79. Ida Krogh would hit 1-of-2 free throws with four seconds left to give the Sharks an 81-79 lead. The Mocs came down the court trailing by two, but a 3-pointer from Harris right before the buzzer fell short to seal NSU's 10th consecutive victory.
Harris led the Mocs offensively as she had 19 points and eight boards, while Snow added 16 points off the bench, including going 8-for-8 at the line.
The Mocs finished the game shooting 19-for-20 at the free throw line, including going 15-for-16 from the line after halftime.
"I thought we did a good job shooting free throws today. Those were pressure shots today and I thought we handled them well," the Mocs coach added.
Sophomore guard Jensen Blassage (Cherry Valley, Ill.) and freshman guard Camille Giardina (Sarasota, Fla.) each had 14 points for the Mocs, who fell to 14-2 overall and 5-2 in the SSC.
Wright led the way for the Sharks (15-1 overall, 7-0 SSC) with 22 points and seven rebounds. Blomer finished with 21 points, including going 6-for-9 from the 3-point line. The third double-digit scorer for the Sharks was Buie as she had 13 points with 11 of those points coming in the first half.
The Mocs jumped out to an 18-9 in first quarter, but the Sharks would close out the quarter by scoring 17 of the final 21 points to take a 26-22 lead after the opening 10 minutes.
Junior guard Bailey Florin (Orlando, Fla.) hit a trey to open the second quarter to pull the Mocs within 26-25, the Sharks used an 18-6 run to push out to a 44-31 lead with 3:41 left in the period. The run was keyed by three consecutive treys, including two from Monaye Merritt. FSC stopped the run on a lay-up from freshman forward Anja Fuchs-Robetin (Vienna, Austria), but a trey from Buie with 1:15 left in the period gave the Sharks a 47-33 edge. The teams would then trade baskets in the final 20 seconds of the quarter to close the first half's scoring.
The Mocs finished the game shooting 43 percent from the field, but were just 2-for-12 (17 percent) from the 3-point line. Meanwhile, NSU shot 45 percent from the field and 48 percent from the 3-point line.
"Nova really shot the ball well today," Harris added.
NSU held a 42-39 edge on the boards, but the Mocs forced the Sharks into 16 turnovers that led to 22 points. FSC committed just nine turnovers on the day, including ony four after halftime.
The Mocs will look to rebound as they close out the first half of SSC play on Wednesday, Jan. 20 as they travel to Winter Park for a 5:30 p.m. game against Rollins (8-7 overall, 4-3 SSC), who fell 72-65 at home to Palm Beach Atlantic.
