FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Nova Southeastern, the No. 1 team in Division II, scored 27 unanswered points late in the first half, and went on to take a 115-95 victory over the Tigers in the first round of the NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament.
 
The Tigers jumped out to a hot start, leading the Sharks 15-6 after a 3-pointer by Brandon Smith. Benedict had a 38-36 lead after a jumper by Brandon Beidleman with 6:05 left in the first half. That's when the Tigers went cold, missing their next seven shots and committing three turnovers over the next five minutes before Tim Moore hit a pair of free throws with 1:02 on the clock. Nova Southeastern took a 68-41 lead at the halftime break.
 
Benedict outscored the Sharks 54-47 in the second half, but couldn't overcome the large deficit. Nova Southeastern led by as many as 33 points, 87-54, with 13:53 left in the game, before Benedict stormed back to cut the lead to as close as 19 points late in the game.
 
Benedict ends the season 23-8. Nova Southeastern, now 28-2, advances to the South Region semifinals on Sunday against Embry-Riddle.
 
Asanti Price led six Benedict players in double figures with 20 points. Moore added 19 points, while Gob Gabriel scored 15 points. Beidleman and Smith had 13 points each, while Calvin McCutcheon chipped in 10 points.
 
The Sharks out-rebounded the Tigers 59-20, and had a 27-8 advantage in second-chance points. Nova Southeastern came into the game leading the country in forced turnovers, but Benedict forced the Sharks into 22 turnovers, while committing just 15, and outscored the Sharks 30-19 in points off turnovers.