Women's Game Recaps #6 - 11/18/19

  • The only game involving a regional outfit on Monday took place in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where defending Division II South regional champion Nova Southeastern dealt Bentley an 81-66 defeat. The Sharks (1-2) shot a toasty 54% overall, including a scorching fourth period (9-11 FG, 7-8 3FG), to secure their first victory of the season. NSU never trailed, leaping to a 10-0 edge early and pushing the margin to 14-2 before the Falcons recovered and cut the deficit to 23-21 after one frame. The Sharks stretched the edge to 38-29 by halftime only to see Monica Viapiano (14 points) score all the points in a 10-3 Bentley burst to whittle the arrears to 41-39 midway through the third quarter. A 6-1 closing run (which included going 2-2 from the floor) staked NSU to a 51-45 advantage by the end of the third stanza, setting the stage for their incendiary fourth quarter. A 13-1 burst, populated by a quartet of three-pointers, pushed the margin to 67-50 with 4:33 to play for the home team, all but extinguishing the Falcons flickering hopes. Kari Brekke (13 points), Megan Lewis (12 points) and Katie Meriggioli (10 points, 6 boards) helped Viapiano on the stat sheet for the Falcons but their 37% shooting paled in comparison to NSU’s hot hands which included Esabelle Levine (18 points, 8 boards), Claire McMahon (13 points, 10 rebounds), Jordan Tully (13 points) and Iva Ilic (12 points, 5 assists). The Sharks made 12-21 from three-point land while Bentley converted just 5-19 tries from long distance, punctuating the difference in the game.