DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Interstat) — The Daytona State Falcons used a dominant first-half performance and a stifling defensive effort to overpower the Miami Dade Sharks 76-54 in a men’s junior college basketball game Wednesday night.

The Falcons, improving to 14-4, seized control from the opening tip, building a 42-25 lead by the end of the first quarter. They never looked back, holding the Sharks to a frigid 32.1 percent shooting from the floor for the game. Daytona State’s interior defense was particularly formidable, blocking 10 shots, led by Seydina N’Diaye’s six blocks in just 16 minutes of play.

Adrian Shackleton, the top star for Daytona State, filled the stat sheet with 14 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals. Noah Mendy added 17 points and seven rebounds, while Tyrese Lacey and Janiel De Los Santos each chipped in 10 points. The Falcons’ balanced attack saw seven players score at least eight points.

Miami Dade, which fell to 5-7, was led by Anthony Breland’s game-high 24 points and eight rebounds. David Verstraeten added 11 points and six rebounds. The Sharks struggled offensively all night, managing only six assists against 10 turnovers and hitting just 4 of 17 attempts from three-point range.

The most important part of the game was the opening quarter, where Daytona State established an insurmountable lead. The Falcons shot efficiently early and capitalized on a flurry of Miami Dade mistakes. The sequence that encapsulated the period began with the Sharks committing three turnovers in the first 90 seconds, the last of which was a steal by Shackleton leading to his own layup for the game’s first points. While Miami Dade’s Breland answered with a jumper, Daytona State then erupted. A 17-2 run, fueled by five points from De Los Santos and four from Mendy, stretched a 9-5 lead to 26-7 and effectively decided the contest before it was halfway through the first period. The Falcons’ lead never dipped below 17 points the rest of the way.

Daytona State won the battle on the glass 46-34, including a 12-5 advantage on the offensive boards. The Falcons also committed fewer turnovers, eight to Miami Dade’s 10.

Interstat’s ELO system had projected Daytona State with an 87.70 percent probability to win.

Miami Dade next plays at Hillsborough on Feb. 4. Daytona State travels to face Hillsborough on Saturday.