Sharks Battle to the Finish in 82–74 Loss to Florida SouthWestern

Miami Dade went punch-for-punch for 40 minutes, but Florida SouthWestern's hot perimeter shooting and second-chance production proved to be the difference as the Sharks fell 82–74 tonight.

The Sharks set the tone early with energy on both ends, jumping out in front behind a Randy Smith jumper and an Anthony Gilkes three. The Sharks stayed aggressive offensively, getting strong interior finishes from Anthony Breland and David Verstraeten while Leeroy Nijean controlled the glass. Miami Dade held a narrow edge late in the half, but Florida SouthWestern closed the final minute with a putback to take a 35–33 lead into the locker room.

The game stayed tight coming out of halftime, and Miami Dade briefly regained momentum with a quick stretch of baskets from Smith, Verstraeten and Gilkes to push ahead 39–36. Florida SouthWestern answered with a run fueled by offensive rebounds and threes, using a 3-pointer from Lamont Hartfield and timely buckets from Mason Blazer to build separation.

Miami Dade continued to fight back down the stretch. Joachim Kouassi provided a spark off the bench, finishing at the rim and knocking down a key three to keep the Sharks within striking distance. Breland and Verstraeten combined for multiple late scores as Miami Dade trimmed the deficit to 74–66 with 1:32 remaining, but Florida SouthWestern countered with a momentum-swinging three from Blazer and steady free-throw shooting in the final minute to seal the win.

Breland led Miami Dade with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting, while Verstraeten added 18 points, five rebounds and two blocks. Kouassi finished with 13 points, and Nijean chipped in nine rebounds. Miami Dade shot 45.8% from the field but was held to 3-of-17 from three-point range, while Florida SouthWestern hit 9-of-20 from deep and won the rebounding battle 47–26, including 18 offensive boards.

The Sharks now turn their heads to Polk State whom they'll host on Saturday at the Gibson Center.