BOCA RATON, Fla. – Looking to complete the season sweep, Lynn University's men's basketball team fell just short, dropping a close contest 86-82 to Florida Tech Wednesday night. Four Fighting Knights scored in double-figures, led by Chris Hall with 22. Lynn's record moves to 5-18 overall and 3-10 in Sunshine State Conference play.
The Panthers (18-9, 8-5 SSC) led for much of the game behind Justin Sedlak's 31 points. Rodney Kennedy knotted the game at eight at the 14:17 mark but Julius Reid hit a floater in the lane to put FIT back on top.
A 9-2 run midway through the period game Florida Tech its first double-digit advantage, although it was short lived. Lynn clawed its way back into the game heading into the locker room with Hall knocking down five points and Pascal Schuler nailing a three to make it 41-35 at halftime.
The Blue & White regained the lead for the first time since the opening minutes when they went on a 13-2 run behind six points by Jovan Robinson and another four from Terrell Williams. Hall's three from the left corner capped the two minute span and put LU on top 56-54.
Up by as many as six, Sedlak scored six of his team's nine points over a three minute period to pull FIT ahead 67-64. The two squads would battle wits, free-throws and timeouts over the final four minutes. Florida Tech never led by more than four but Lynn could not cut the deficit to less than two. The Panthers went 11-of-12 from the charity stripe down the stretch to seal the victory.
Lynn shot 51.8% from the field as a team, 42.9% from three-point range and 75% from the line while FIT knocked down 49% of its shots, 41.7% beyond the arc and 82.5% at the free-throw line. Robinson logged 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting, Cameron McCallum added 12 points and Jimmy Gaskins notched 11. Chris Watson led LU with seven rebounds.
The Knights return to the hardwood on Saturday, February 19, at 7:30 p.m. when they host rival Barry. Lynn will also be honoring its four seniors, Chris Hall, Rodney Kennedy, Jovan Robinson and Terrell Williams prior to the contest. Fans can follow all of the action live by logging on to www.LynnFightingKnights.com and selecting "Game Central."
