BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Lynn University men's basketball team opened its season with a victory on Saturday afternoon, defeating Johnson University (FL), 85-62. The Fighting Knights were led by a 19-point, 12-rebound performance from sophomore forward
Nordin Kapic in the victory. Graduate forward
Ben Gahlert also contributed 13 points and graduate guard
Tradavis Thompson put up 12 points and 4 assists.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Score: Lynn 85, Johnson 62
Records: Lynn (1-0) | Johnson (0-4)
Location: de Hoernle Sports Center | Boca Raton, Fla.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Kapic got off to a strong start, scoring the first points of the season on a layup before assisting Gahlert on a cutting layup
- The Fighting Knights jumped out to a 12-4 lead after a three-ball from junior
Joshua Sasser, a layup and free throw from Kapic and a layup from Gahlert with just under 15 minutes remaining
- Thompson scored five consecutive points, hitting a three-ball and a fastbreak reverse layup
- Graduate
Brad McCabe and junior
Quentin Toles scored their first buckets as Fighting Knights, extending Lynn's lead to 21-4
- Lynn went on an 18-0 run and extended the lead to 26-4 with 11 minutes remaining in the half
- Graduate
Jamison Evans caught fire, hitting back-to-back three-pointers that pushed Lynn's advantage to 29-7 with just over 10 minutes left in the half
- Sophomore
Jalen Gilmore made a fadeaway jumper, sophomore
Rickey Ballard made a free throw and Evans made a contested layup that gave the Fighting Knights a 34-11 lead with just under seven and a half minutes left in the half
- Kapic and Thompson each contributed layups to put Lynn up 22 points with three and a half minutes remaining
- Gilmore took over the final two minutes of the half, hitting a three-pointer followed by a needle-threading pass that set Gahlert up with an open layup
- The Fighting Knights went into the halftime break with a 44-18 lead
- Thompson and Kapic caught fire, with the duo each hitting a three-pointer and a layup within the first six minutes of the second half to push the lead to 55-30
- Gahlert hit a pair of layups that extended Lynn's lead to 59-35 with 11 and a half minutes left in the game
- The Suns gained momentum, going on a 10-4 run to lower Lynn's lead to 61-45
- Kapic got the momentum back for Lynn, fighting through contact to make a layup while being fouled
- From outside the three-point line, Evans lobbed the ball up for Toles, who threw down an alley oop with just over eight minutes remaining in the game
- Ballard hit five free throws and a three-pointer to extend Lynn's lead to 78-52 with three minutes left
- McCabe and junior
Mason Schwaber each contributed baskets as the Fighting Knights closed out an 85-62 victory in the season opener
FIGHTING KNIGHTS STATS
- Five Fighting Knights reached at least 7 points in the first half – Evans (8), Thompson (7), Gahlert (7), Kapic (7) and Gilmore (7)
- Kapic, Gahlert and Thompson combined for 44 points on 72% from the field (18/25)
- McCabe grabbed 11 rebounds in his Lynn debut
- Thompson, Gilmore and McCabe tied for the team lead with 4 assists each
UP NEXT
The Fighting Knights will take on Flagler at the de Hoernle Sports Center on Saturday, Nov. 18. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.
