Eli Allen, junior business major, dribbles past defenders and toward the rim against Palm Beach Atlantic on Jan. 24.
Hailey Chiles, junior applied professional studies major, goes for a layup against Palm Beach Atlantic on Jan. 24.
Mens
The No. 2 men’s basketball team have maintained its home win streak dating back to 2020, extending it to 95. The reigning national champions have seven newcomers on the roster, yet they’ve built good chemistry with each other according to Nick Smith, associate head men’s basketball coach.
“The first few games we were kind of trying to find out our identity, with a lot of new guys and who we are and what this year is going to be,” Smith said. “As the year has gone by, the guys have kind of played into their roles and started to figure each other out.”
Despite losing to Palm Beach Atlantic 88-83 on Dec. 13, Smith said the team used the result as a learning experience and motivation to perform better.
“We took a tough loss against PBA at their place, but we came back and responded well,” Smith said. “The coaches were kind of curious to see if the guys would hang their heads and get upset, but no, they were mad that they lost but came back in a good way.”
The Sharks look to finish the remainder of their season strong ahead of the Sunshine State Conference and NCAA South Region tournaments, both set to begin in March.
Womens
The No. 11 women’s basketball team started its season undefeated, and earned its best start in program history after winning its 16th straight game on Jan. 14. Every member of the team is in their first season at NSU.
“Coming into this season there was a lot of unknown, but we’ve really come together as a whole and stepped up to the plate,” said Bridie McCann, junior applied professional studies major and member of the women’s basketball team. “It’s been really nice to get to know each other both on and off the court, and I think we’ve adjusted really well.”
McCann, a transfer from Chestnut Hill College, leads the team in points and 3-pointers made. She scored a career-high 29 points on Dec. 6 in a top-25 matchup against Embry Riddle. The performance earned her WBCA/D2CIDA National Player of the Week honors.
The Sharks suffered its first loss of the season on Jan. 28. They head into the last month of regular season play ahead of the Sunshine State Conference and NCAA South Region tournaments, both set to begin in March.
“Every single day we want to create momentum, and the way you create momentum is your daily habits and the work you put in at practice, and right now the way the players are hitting the gym, preparing for games inside of scouting, film work has been incredibly impressive,” said Heather Macy, head women’s basketball coach. “It’s a great group to be around every day.”
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