BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Lynn University men's basketball team won its matchup on Saturday afternoon, defeating Ave Maria, 101-87. The Fighting Knights were led by a dominant, season-high 23-point performance from graduate Tradavis Thompson in the non-conference victory. Lynn was elite as a unit, as sophomore Nordin Kapic contributed 21 points, graduate Ben Gahlert recorded a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double and graduate Brad McCabe put up 11 points. The four players accounted for 69.9% of the Fighting Knights' points.
 
The Fighting Knights were prolific from behind the arc, hitting 18 three-pointers, the second most in a single game in program history. They set a program record with 38 three-point attempts.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Score: Lynn 101, Ave Maria 87
Records: Lynn (3-1) | Ave Maria (8-2)
Location: de Hoernle Sports Center | Boca Raton, Fla.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Lynn jumped out to a 11-2 lead, with Kapic (4), Thompson (5) and Gahlert (2) contributing points
- The lead was extended to 18-8 after Kapic made a three-pointer, Gahlert made a layup and Thompson made a tough, double-clutched layup
- Graduate Jamison Evans subbed in and immediately hit a three-pointer, and sophomore Jalen Gilmore grabbed a rebound, took it coast-to-coast and made a fastbreak layup to make it 23-8 with 14 minutes remaining in the first half
- The Gyrenes gained momentum and went on a 10-4 run to lower the deficit to 27-18
- A three-pointer from sophomore Rickey Ballard, a layup from Kapic and a fastbreak layup from Gahlert extended Lynn's advantage to 34-18 with just under 9 and a half minutes remaining in the half
- Another run from Ave Maria lowered its deficit to 34-25
- Junior Joshua Sasser and Gahlert hit back-to-back threes that extended Lynn's lead to 44-29 with just over 5 minutes left in the half
-Ballard hit a layup and Gahlert made a pair of shots to put Lynn up 50-35 with 1:45 remaining in the first half
- A 9-0 run from Ave Maria sent Lynn into halftime with a 50-44 lead
- A free throw from Kapic and a layup from Ballard opened the scoring for Lynn in the second half
- The Fighting Knights then caught fire from beyond the arc, hitting 10 of its next 18 shots that were all from three-point range
- Thompson led the three-point barrage with four three-pointers, as McCabe (3 threes), Evans (2) and Kapic (1) also contributed to the 83-70 lead for Lynn with just under 8 minutes remaining in the game
- A pair of layups from Kapic and Gahlert pushed Lynn's advantage to 87-75 with just over six and a half minutes left in the game
- Sasser caught fire and hit back-to-back three-pointers in 24 seconds that extended the lead to 93-75
- Kapic scored 6 consecutive points and freshman Austin Vick hit a pair of free throws to help Lynn close out a 101-87 victory
 
FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS
- Gahlert scored a game-leading 15 points on 85.7% from the field in the first half
- Gilmore recorded 7 assists in the first half with just one turnover
- Kapic led the game with a +17 +/- in the opening half
- The Fighting Knights shot 12/14 (85.7%) on layups in the first half
- Thompson and Kapic each scored 12 points in the second half, pacing all scorers
- Lynn hit 12 three-pointers on 52.2% (12-23) in the final period
- Lynn has 3 players averaging at least 7 rebounds per game (Kapic -- 8.5, Gahlert -- 7.3, McCabe -- 7.0)
- Kapic is shooting 58.5% from the field this season and 6-10 from three
 
UP NEXT
The Fighting Knights will travel to Rollins for a Sunshine State Conference road matchup on Saturday, Dec. 9. Tip-off is set for 4:00 p.m.