FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The #24 Shaw University women's basketball team could not counter host Nova Southeastern's hot shooting as the Lady Bears fell 103-85 in the closing game of the Shark Invitational at the NSU Arena.

The Sharks, who lead Division II in three-point shooting efficiency, put up 30 shots beyond the arc, hitting 17.   Their 56.7 percent shooting mark for threes was actually higher than their overall shooting percentage (55.2 percent).  Shaw, in comparison, hit only one of seven from the three-point line, and hit 52.8 percent overall.

With the loss -- the second in two nights -- Shaw falls to 5-3 on the season.  The Sharks improve to 9-0 on the season, tying the school mark for consecutive wins.  The Lady Bears last lost two straight in 2011 when they lost to Arkansas-Fort Smith and Abilene Christian on December 18 and 29, respectively.

Shaw opened with a hot hand, but never hot enough to pull away from the Sharks.  With 7:53 remaining in the opening period, Shaw was hitting 82.4 percent, but they went cold the rest of the half, finishing the first with a strong 62.5 percent rate, but being equalled by the Sharks who finished the first with a 64.3 percent rate.

The Sharks built their lead on the back of three-point shooting, hitting 10 of 14 shots from beyond the arc in the first half. 

After falling behind 5-0, the Lady Bears responded with a 6-0 run to take the lead on a layup from Kaula Jack. 

NSU scored nine straight points, giving them a 14-6 lead.  Shaw battled back, tying the score at 19 when Diamond Mitchell threaded a pass to Bryann Guyton, who then sank the jumper at the 11:09 mark.

The two teams exchanged buckets for three minutes, with the Sharks holding a one-point, 30-29 lead at the under-eight media timeout.  Shaw tied the score at 30 with a free throw from Jack and took the lead on a layup from Ariel Hatcher.

The Sharks then roared back, scoring 16 straight in a run that included four buckets from downtown.  With 5:14 left in the half, Taylor Buie hit a pair of free throws to give NSU the 46-32 lead.

Hatcher would finally break the Shaw scoring drought with a layup with 4:37 left in the half.  The Lady Bears rallied, cutting the lead to as few as eight, but trailed by ten at halftime, 56-46.

The lead hovered around the ten-point mark for the first eight minutes of the second half.  With 11:48 left in the contest, Mitchell hit a jumper to cut the NSU lead to ten at 70-60.  This started what would become an eight-point run that culminated with a Jack layup at the 9:54 mark that trimmed the lead to four at 70-66.

Nova Southeastern took a timeout, and the Sharks responded with a fury.  Over the next three and a half minutes, the Sharks scored 18 straight, including four threes.

With 5:28 left, Guyton broke the NSU streak with a layup, but NSU responded with a Amanda Burakoski three and she and her teammates kept the lead around the 20-point mark for the rest of the contest.

With 57 seconds showing on the clock, Jasmine Wilkins hit a layup to break the century mark for the Sharks.  Guyton closed out the scoring, hitting a bucket that brought the final margin under 20 at 103-85.

Guyton led the Lady Bears with a season-high 27 points.  Brooks added 24 -- also a season high.  Hatcher tossed in 18.  Brooks was the leading rebounder with nine, and Jack had six assists.

Buie led the Sharks with 21 points, while three teammates had 20 apiece:  Danielle Robinson, Richelle Carach and Burakoski.  Jessica Russi and Wilkins had eight rebounds each and Russi set a school record with 15 assists to lead NSU.

The Lady Bears are finishing the pre-holiday period with six games in 10 days and have two more to go.  They next travel to Melbourne, Fla. to take part in the Florida Tech Tournament.  They open play Friday, December 20 with a contest with Palm Beach Atlantic at 2:30 p.m.  Earlier this season, Shaw downed PBAU 90-70.

The Lady Bears do not return home until after the holidays when they open CIAA play on January 2 against Elizabeth City State at C.C. Spaulding Gymnasium.  Tip is 6:00 p.m.