BOCA RATON, Fla. – On a day where Lynn University's women's basketball team honored its senior class one stood out above the rest. Senior Quanisha Dixon set career-highs for points and steals and fell one rebound shy of a triple-double in helping carry the Fighting Knights to a 76-53 victory over Barry. Fellow seniors Chelsea Patterson and Natalie Basore combined to score 22 as LU avenged its last second loss to the Bucs from earlier in the season to improve to 11-13 overall and 5-9 in the Sunshine State Conference.
The Blue & White defense was on full display in the opening period as Barry was held to a miniscule 16.7% shooting while committing 14 turnovers. On the flip side, Lynn opened the half on a 13-2 run, highlighted by eight points from Dixon, and never looked back.
A jumper by Nadia Tijani at the 11:15 mark made it 13-4, marking the closest the Bucs (11-14, 4-11 SSC) would get to LU in the contest.
Dixon was dominant in both halves, scoring 18 points and recording five steals in the first 20 minutes and adding 16 points and another five steals in the second half. Her 10 swipes are the second most for a single-game in school history were one behind the program record of 11 set in 2002 by Alshaa Hodges.
Patterson closed out play with 18 points but scored 16 of that total in the second period. After going 0-for-6 from the field, she went 4-of-8, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. She also added four assists, two of which were highlight reel passes that threaded the needle to Kira Harvey and Basore.
The fourth-best free-throw shooter in Lynn's history, Basore added to that legacy with a perfect 2-for-2 outing at the charity stripe while also notching five boards. Harvey was third on the team with 16 points, hit 5-of-9 attempts from the floor, including a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point range.
Lynn's 23-point victory over Barry is the fifth-largest margin of victory for the Knights over the Bucs and largest since LU defeated BU 93-51 in 1996. Barry finished the game shooting a paltry 26.7% from the field while Lynn used a 55% second half to shoot 47.7% overall.
The Blue & White return to the hardwood on Wednesday, February 23, at 5:30 p.m. when they travel to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., to face off against Nova Southeastern. Fans can follow the action live by logging on to www.LynnFightingKnights.com and selecting "Game Central."
