It was a rematch of the 2023 NCAA Division II semifinals and unfortunately for Cal State San Bernardino, the result was the same as Nova Southeastern held off a second-half charge to advance to the national championship game with a 91-77 win.

The Sharks came out on the attack as the defending national champions scored 12 of their first 29 points off five CSUSB turnovers. The 'Yotes eventually found their rhythm midway through the first half and forced the deficit back into single digits.

It took until 6:30 remaining in the first half for the Coyotes to force the first NSU turnover of the game and then CSUSB got back within five points on a pair of free throws by Christopher Mitchell with 5:28 left to put the score at 39-34.

The Sharks made the most of the final five minutes of the first half, pushing the lead back to 13 points, holding a 53-40 lead into the break. In the first half, CSUSB was 14-for-28 from the field and outrebounded the Sharks, 23-16, but NSU turnoved the ball over just one time to hold the halftime lead.

Following a couple made free throws by NSU to open the second half, the Coyotes found their stride, closing the gap to just one-point on a made layup by LeAndrew Knight with 12:34 left to play. 

The Sharks pushed the lead back to seven at the under-8 media timeout and then the NSU lead hit double-digits once again with 5:36 left to play as the Sharks' frenetic pace proved too much to overcome. 

Cal State San Bernardino was led by 27 points from Sedrick Altman. Mitchell added 17 before fouling out while Knight put up 12 in the loss. Evan Guillory also added 10 points in the loss while Robby Robinson led the Coyotes on the glass with 11 rebounds.

The Coyotes finish the season with a record of 27-8.