BOCA RATON, Fla. – A wild conclusion to a back-and-forth game ended in disappointment for Lynn University's men's basketball team as it fell 61-59 to Nova Southeastern. Jeremy Lampkin led all scorers with a career-high 22 points but the Fighting Knights record drops to 13-14 overall and 6-9 in the Sunshine State Conference.
Trailing 57-50 with 2:07 remaining, Slobodan Miljanic started the comeback charge with a jumper on the baseline. Following an outstanding defensive stop, Lampkin closed the gap to two, 57-55, with a three from the right wing.
Nova Southeastern (12-12, 6-8 SSC) was able to extend the lead to four with a bucket by Tim Traversa but DeMario Fountain went coast-to-coast on the ensuing inbounds pass to keep the deficit to two points.
Needing to put NSU on the free-throw line for a one-and-one opportunity in hopes of a missed shot, Lynn fouled four times in the next six seconds. The Fighting Knights plan worked to perfection with Louie Schonauer rimming out the first attempt.
Fountain grabbed the rebound and found Josh Garcia near mid-court. The senior point guard got off a three-point attempt with 0.6 seconds remaining that fell just short but a whistle in the background sent him to the line to shoot three.
After knocking down his first two shots to knot the game at 59, a technical foul was issued to Lynn, putting Nova Southeastern on the free-throw line. Teddy Tassy hit both attempts to give the Sharks a 61-59 victory.
Trailing by as many as eight in the first half, Lampkin scored six points in a 15-3 run over the final 5:11 to help Lynn go on top 34-30 at the break. Miljanic added five points of his 11 points to help the Fighting Knights get back into the contest.
Lynn shot 42.9 percent from the field, including 38.1 percent from beyond the arc, while hitting 75 percent of its shot from the stripe. Nova Southeastern knocked down 49 percent of its shot, 36.4 percent from three-point range and 69.2 percent from the free-throw line.
Bo Jukic posted a game-high eight rebounds while tying with Garcia for a team-best four assists.
Prior to the game, Lynn University's athletic department and the men's basketball program honored its five seniors; Pascal Schuler, Michael Woo, Bo Jukic, Josh Garcia and Michel Vidal.
The Fighting Knights return to action on Saturday, February 25, at 4 p.m. when they battle Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fla. Fans can follow the action live by logging on to LynnFightingKnights.com and selecting the Game Central icon.
