Miami Shores, Fla.—Lynn University's men's basketball dropped an 81-77 Sunshine State Conference decision to rival Barry University on Wednesday despite a double-double from Michel Vidal and five players scoring double digits. The loss represents Lynn's first SSC defeat of the season.
Vidal posted a game-high 13 rebounds and added 12 points. Josh Garcia and Brandon Smith tallied 14 each while DeMario Fountain and Jeremy Lampkin contributed 11 apiece.
Barry started the contest on a 7-0 run before Lynn (8-6, 2-1 SSC) cut the deficit down to three on its next two possessions. The Buccaneers answered and with 06:10 remaining in the first half by stretching their advantage to 14 at 32-18.
Lynn battled back and cut the deficit down to three on a Smith 3-pointer with just over one minute remaining in the half. The first period ended with Barry up 36-33. The Fighting Knights posted a 15-6 run to close out the half.
On the first possession of the second half, Vidal converted a jumper to make it a one-point affair at 36-35 in Barry's favor. After an Evan White three for Barry, Smith answered with a Lynn bucket from downtown to trim the Barry advantage to one point at 39-38 with 18:27 left in regulation.
Barry stretched its lead back up to three with 16:54 left, but Vidal made it a one point game for the fourth time in the second half on the next possession after connecting on a layup. However, Lynn would never grab a lead as Barry continued to pull away the rest of the half and ended the game with a four point victory.
The Bucs shot 48.1 percent from the field and connected on 41.2 percent of shots from behind the arc. Lynn countered with a 40.6 percent clip from the field and a 4-19 mark from 3-point land. The Knights won the rebounding battle 39 to 38 and added 14 second chance points to Barry six.
The next action for the Fighting Knights is set for Saturday, January 7, in West Palm Beach, Fla. versus the Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish at 4 p.m. Live coverage can always be heard on the Fighting Knights Network starting just before tip-off. Click on the Game Central logo at LynnFightingKnights.com to access the live broadcast.
