Nova Southeastern Edges Lady Pirates, 70-69

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Abbie Tepe sank one of two free throws with four seconds remaining, snapping a 69-all tie and giving the host Nova Southeastern Sharks a 70-69 women's college basketball victory over visiting Armstrong Atlantic State in the 2009 NSU/Mariott TipOff Classic on Friday evening.

The Sharks (1-1) erased an eight-point second-half deficit to take a three-point lead, 69-66, with 20 seconds left on a pair of free throws by Erin Zampell. The Pirates (0-2) tied things up on a three-pointer by Lauren Hall with 13 seconds remaining.

Tepe was then fouled by AASU's Brooke Long with four seconds left and sank the first of two free throws. On the second miss, Nova Southeastern's Meloney Fosburgh grabbed the offensive rebound, missed a layup, but time ran out before the Pirates could attempt a game-winning shot.

The Pirates were led by senior Portia Jones, who hit 6-of-16 shots from the field, including 4-of-8 three-pointers, as well as 6-of-9 shots from the free throw line for a game-high 22 points. Hall added 17 points and junior Arpine Amirkhanyan chipped in 16 points before fouling out of the contest.

Nova Southeastern was led by Tepe's 14 points, Jada Buckner's 12 points and Fosburgh's game-high 14 rebounds.

AASU hit just 21-of-66 shots from the floor for 31.8 percent on the evening, while Nova Southeastern hit 23-of-68 shots for 33.8 percent. Both teams recorded 23 turnovers and the Sharks outrebounded the Pirates, 51-46.

The Pirates wrap up action in the TipOff Classic by facing Barry University at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday.