Coenraad scores 18 pts in Nova SE win

All-SSC Performer Tim Coenraad Scores 18 Points, Grabs 7 Rebounds In Win

PENSACOLA, Fla. (Nov. 16, 2008) - The Nova Southeastern University men's basketball held on to defeat St. Mary's (Tex.) 51-50 in action inside the UWF Field house on Sunday evening. The victory evens the Sharks record to 1-1 on the season while St. Mary's falls to 0-2.

NSU started out the game on a 12-2 run, with six of the points scored by senior guard/forward Tim Coenraad (Brisbane, Australia) on a jump shot, a dunk and two free throws. A dunk by center David Naylor (Jr., Melbourne, Australia) put the Sharks up by ten points once again with 2:14 remaining in the half. St. Marys would close the half on a 5-0 run to close within 23-17 at the intermission.

Coenraad led all scorers with eight points at the break as NSU shot 34.8 percent from the field. The Sharks out-rebounded St. Mary's 22-20. St. Mary's was able to muster only six field goals in the half, shooting a paltry 22.2 percent.

Two free throws by forward Josh Wood (Sr., Brighton, Australia) helped the Sharks push their lead to the largest margin in the game at 12 points with 14:38 remaining. St. Mary's would go on a run, getting to within one point on two free throws by Anthony Lorenzo with 3:28 left to play. After the two teams traded baskets, a jumper by Coenraad and a free throw by Alex Gynes (So., Nowra, Australia) put the Sharks up 51-47 with under a minute remaining. Lorenzo hit a three-pointer with four seconds left to account for the 51-50 final score.

The Sharks never trailed in the victory. They shot 38.1 percent from the field, including 20 percent from behind the arc. St. Mary's was held to 32.1 percent shooting and just 16.7 percent on three-pointers. NSU was out-rebounded 38-34.

"We set the tempo for this game with our defensive effort," NSU head coach Gary Tuell said. "We maintained that effort for 40 minutes, which is what we need to do to compete with the talented teams on our schedule. As long as we hold our opponents under 40 percent shooting, which we've done in every single exhibition and regular season game this year, we will give ourselves a chance to win until the offense catches up with the defense."

"By every standard of measure, this was the finest effort and defensive performance we've had in my tenure at NSU," said Tuell. "We played as hard as we possibly could for 40 minutes, and as a result we were able to control this game from start to finish. I've never been prouder of a bunch of guys for the way they stepped up after our disappointing performance against Southern Arkansas. St. Mary's was an excellent team, an NCAA tourney team last year, and they were very large, very physical and extremely well-coached. But we grabbed this game by the throat from the opening possession and never let up. I don't think I've ever been involved in a more physical game at the D-2 level, with both teams playing at a very high level on the defensive end of the court. That we could sustain that intensity and focus for 40 minutes showed me a lot about our desire to win. Neither team backed down and neither team quit, and while the offensive execution by both teams wasn't pretty, this was a case where both team's defensive play prevented the other team's offense from doing what it wanted."

Coenraad led all scorers with 18 points and collected seven rebounds. Naylor and freshman center Darrin Williams (Louisville, Ken.) followed with seven points apiece.

"Our offensive execution was very good throughout the game. We went into this game having made about 30 turnovers on average in all of our previous games (three exhibitions and an opening-season loss to Southern Arkansas). Tonight we turned it over just 12 times and only 3 times in the second half. For us, that's an amazing improvement. For the first time in four years we were able to put a fully healthy team on the floor and we needed that. It showed in our effort and execution at both ends of the floor. Both teams did an excellent job executing their offenses, but both teams ran into very physical, intense defenses that turned this game into a rock 'em, sock 'em battle. It wasn't pretty, but from a coaching perspective it was fun to be a part of a game where guys on both teams were giving their all."

Nick Morey scored a game high 15 points for St. Mary's.

Tuell concluded, "I couldn't be more proud of our players. They took care of the ball, they played together and they made every effort to do all the little things we've been stressing to them about team and individual defense. We have a long, long way to go, but at least they showed me that they're in this thing to win and not just to play. Every team plays, but not every team plays to win. If our effort against a very good St. Mary's team is any indication, then we have a chance. We learned a lot about ourselves this weekend, and hopefully we can build on that."

NSU returns to action on Saturday, November 22nd at 7 pm vs. Palm Beach Atlantic in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Sunday 11am AEDT).