2026 SSC Women's Basketball Championship: Sharks Claim Fourth-Ever Title
Nova Southeastern's Bridie McCann named Tournament MVP.
AJ Vazquez, Communications Contractor
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Nova Southeastern University captured the 2026 Sunshine State Conference Women’s Basketball Championship on Sunday afternoon, defeating Florida Southern College 78-74 in a tightly contested battle at Rick Case Arena. This marks the Sharks’ fourth tournament title, and their first since the 2014-15 season.
Nova Southeastern opened the game with a strong start, jumping to an early 11-4 lead behind seven points from Bridie McCann. Florida Southern responded by attacking the interior and capitalizing at the free throw line, trimming the Sharks’ advantage to a single point. Nia Blocton nailed key free throws, to help the Mocs tie the game at 17 before Nova Southeastern’s Celeste Reed split a pair of free throws to give the Sharks an 18-17 lead at the end of the first.
Florida Southern opened the second quarter by draining back-to-back three-pointers from Lily Pereira and Sydney Gomes that gave the Mocs their first lead of the game. Carlota Gomez Alonso added six consecutive points during a larger run to drive the Mocs’ lead to nine points midway through the period. Nova Southeastern countered with a run led by McCann and Taydra Simpson, who helped equalize score at 34. The teams would trade scores and each end up with 39 points, but Gomes closed the half with six straight points to send Florida Southern into the half with a 45-39 advantage.
The Sharks took the third quarter by storm led by Hailey Chiles scoring the first eight points of the period for Nova Southeastern, giving them a 47-46 lead. Nova Southeastern kept pressuring the Mocs offense and converted turnovers into points. The Sharks would outscore the Mocs 27-11 in the quarter, gaining a 66-56 lead heading into the final period.
Florida Southern made one final push in the fourth quarter, opening the period with a 6-0 run. Gomes would tie the game at 74 with a driving layup with just over a minute remaining in the game.
McCann converted two free throws to give the Sharks a 76-74 lead in the final minute, and Simpson would then block a potential three-point attempt by the Mocs, giving Morales the opportunity to seal the championship with a baseline jumper with 6.6 seconds remaining to secure the 78-74 victory.
At the conclusion of the game, the 2026 SSC Women’s Basketball Championship All-Tournament Team was announced. Nova Southeastern’s Bridie McCann was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player after scoring a game-high of 28 points in the final. She was joined by teammates Taydra Simpson and Kaliyah Morales. Florida Southern’s Sydney Gomes and Lily Randgaard were also selected, along with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Eliana Sheplee.
With Nova Southeastern’s win, they automatically qualified for the 2026 South Region Tournament as the No. 5 seed, and will face No. 4 Miles College. The University of Alabama Huntsville will be the host, as the region’s No. 1 seed. Other SSC qualifying teams include: Florida Southern, Eckerd College, Embry-Riddle. Florida Southern is the No. 7 seed and faces No. 2 Union University, and No. 3 Eckerd plays No. 6 Embry-Riddle.