DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Samya Brooks poured in 20 points, including a 6-of-10 shooting effort from the field, but the Auburn University at Montgomery Warhawks women's basketball team (0-1) fell 91-63 to 19th-ranked Nova Southeastern University (1-0) to open the 2025-2026 college basketball season for both teams.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
Three straight buckets from Celeste Reed helped the Sharks use a quick 9-2 burst to open the contest.

The Warhawks promptly responded, as Brooks rolled in a layup and added a pair of free throws to trim the lead to three.

The contest remained mostly a one-score game until a late pair of free throws pushed Nova Southeastern to a 19-14 advantage after one quarter.

The Sharks found some rhythm from beyond the three-point arc in the second stanza. Nova Southeastern knocked down four triples in the period and ballooned its lead to as much as 20 to take control of the game.

The Warhawks made just eight first half field goals to 15 for the Sharks. 
 
Second Half
Nova Southeastern continued its offensive momentum in the second half with 26 points in the third quarter and 22 in the fourth quarter enroute to securing the win. 
 
NOTABLES

• Bridie McCann scored a game-high 22 points for the Sharks and added five rebounds, two assists, and two steals. 
• Celeste Reed's 16-point, 10-rebound double-double helped bolster the Sharks to a 46-30 rebounding advantage in the game. 
• Kaliyah Morales (14 points) and Markayla Holland (10 points) rounded out the double-digit scorers for the high-powered Nova Southeastern offense. 
• Brooks finished with 20 points, three rebounds, two assists, one block, and one steal on 60 percent shooting (6-of-10) to lead the scoring for the Warhawks. She also did not miss a free throw, where she went a perfect 8-for-8.
• Nevaeh Small led AUM in rebounding with nine boards, which tied her career best. Carrington Jones (13 points, five rebounds) and Paige Taylor (11 points) also scored in double figures for the orange and black.
• The Warhawks struggled to shoot the ball efficiently (38 percent from the field) against a Nova Southeastern defense that held opponents to just 58 points per game a season ago. 
• AUM failed to make a three-point shot in the game but earned 40 free throw attempts thanks to 33 fouls by the Sharks.
• The Sharks shot 44 percent from the field (33-of-74) and 45 percent from three-point territory (9-of-20). Nova Southeastern did, however, struggle from the foul line, where they only managed to shoot 59 percent (16-of-27) on the afternoon.
• Nova Southeastern scored 42 points in the game off 32 AUM turnovers and owned a 21-11 advantage in second-chance points. The Sharks also beat out AUM in the paint (40-28) and off the bench (23-15) in the contest.

 
UP NEXT
The Warhawks take on 12th-ranked Embry Riddle Aeronautical University on Saturday, Nov. 15 at the ICI Center in Daytona Beach, Fla. to finish off the GSC-SSC Crossover Challenge.


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