Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Nova Southeastern cruises into semifinals
Sharks tie record with 21 3-pointers, roll over Rollins
A historic shooting night led by Mikkel Kolstad sent the Nova Southeastern back to the Sunshine State Conference Semifinals on Tuesday at the Rick Case Arena in Fort Lauderdale.
Behind Kolstad’s game-high 23 points, the Sharks (22-5) blasted seventh-seeded Rollins (14-15) 115-81 in the quarterfinals to punch their tickets back to the conference semifinals.
Nova Southeastern, the nation’s No. 1 shooting squad in Division II, made a program-record 67.2% from the field and shot 21-of-32 from behind the 3-point line.
With eight NSU players having recorded at least one 3-point shot, the Sharks’ 21 3-pointers tied the Division II record for the most in a game.
Kolstad went 8-of-12 from the field, including 7-of-11 from behind the arc to led the charge for the Sharks. The team also received significant contributions from Eddie Puisis and Lukas Speidel, who scored 17 and 15 points, respectively.
Mark Matthews recorded his seventh double-double of the season for the Sharks by scoring 14 points and racking up 10 assists.
The NSU defense forced Rollins to commit 24 turnovers, which included 18 in the first 20 minutes of action.
The Sharks’ bench outscored Rollins’ reserves 54-18 and helped the team secure a 34-point win, which is the largest margin of victory in an SSC Tournament game since Florida Southern beat Flo rolrida Tech by 49 in 2009.
Last season, Nova Southeastern reached its first SSC Tournament finals as they fell 92-84 to Florida Southern.
Following their loss in the SSC championship, the Shark rallied from the defeat and surged their way through the NCAA Division II tournament.
Nova Southeastern managed to advance all the way to the championship game against Saint Anselm, before losing in the finals 91-81.
Nova Southeastern plays No. 3 seed Palm Beach Atlantic (21-8) on Thursday at the Rick Case Arena in the SSC semifinals. Each team won at home when they faced each other this season.
Tickets for adults are $7, while admission for seniors is at $5. Student with valid Sunshine State Conference-affiliated IDs and children 12 and under are free.