BOCA RATON, Fla.- The Lynn University men's basketball team lost its first game of the season 81-80, on Saturday afternoon to Valdosta State (6-0) in an overtime thriller. The Fighting Knights move to 4-1 overall and will face Palm Beach Atlantic on Wednesday night. Haki Stampley led the Blue & White's offense with 15 points and eight rebounds while Aaron Harrison had his second consecutive double-double.
The Fighting Knights trailed early in the first half after many missed opportunities but came back to tie the game at 9-all with a layup from Fred Landers. Lynn would trail by as many as seven with 7:31 to play before coming back to tie the game at 25-all when Kaleb Clyburn hit a three point-shot from downtown with 4:36 in the half. Valdosta would pull ahead in the final minutes before taking a 37-33 lead at the buzzer.
Landers led the offense with eight points and three rebounds while Stampley and Clyburn each had five points and three boards. The Blazers shot 41.7 percent from the field and were able to hold Lynn to a 37.8 field goal percentage.
The Fighting Knights tied the game in the opening minutes of the second half with a jumper from Stampley at 18:19. Two minutes later Stampley was fouled on a layup and his extra shot from the charity line gave Lynn its first lead of the game of 44-43.The lead would flip-flop throughout the half before a the score was knotted at 59 at the end of regulation.
Harrison, Stampley and Brandon Smith all put up seven points for the Blue & White while Pavle Raickovic contributed six of his own. Lynn improved its shooting to 38.7 percent from the field in the second half and made 11-of-13 free throws. The Knights out-rebounded the Blazers 36-32 in the second frame while each team had 18 rebounds.
Missed shots plagued the Blue & White in the overtime period, which gave the Blazers a lead of as many as four with 25 seconds remaining. With one second on the clock the Fighting Knights had a final opportunity when Valdosta inbounded the ball and Harrison got a hand on it. Although Harrison's defense was strong he was called for a foul which secured Valdosta's 81-80 victory.
Stampley, Landers, Harrison and Smith all scored in the double digit for the Fighting Knights while Clyburn had nine points, four rebounds and a game-high five assists. Cory Thomas put up six points and two blocks when he came off the bench. VSU was led by Jeremy McKay who had 16 points while David Murray put up 13 points and grabbed 11 boards for the Blazers.
Lynn shot 37.2 percent overall in the game and 65.4 percent from the charity strip while only having 14 turnovers to Valdosta's 21. The lead changed 11 times in the game while the score was knotted on a total of 20 different occasions.
Lynn will travel for the first time this season when the Fighting Knights take on the Sailfish of Palm Beach Atlantic on Wednesday, December 4. Tip-off is set for 7:30 pm. Fans can follow the action live at www.LynnFightingKnights.com. Don't forget to 'Like' Lynn Athletics on Facebook and follow @LUKnights on Twitter, Instagram and Vine to receive updates all season long.
