WINTER PARK, Fla. - Lynn men's basketball used a sharp-shooting first half and a surge in overtime to defeat Rollins on the road, 80-77, Saturday afternoon. Ben Gahlert led the Fighting Knights with 18 points, as Nordin Kapic posted a double-double, Jamison Evans knocked down four threes and Jalen Gilmore dished out 12 assists.
Lynn is 4-1 overall and 1-1 in the Sunshine State Conference, while Rollins drops to 3-5 and 0-3 in the SSC.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Gahlert scored every point of a 7-2 run to open the game for Lynn, including an and-one to close out the personal spurt
- The Tars closed to within two points with 7:14 left in the first half before a Kapic layup and Gahlert three-pointer stretched the Fighting Knight lead to seven, 30-23
- Lynn closed the opening frame with a 12-0 run, led by two threes from Evans
- Lynn shot 51.6% from the field in the first half and held Rollins to just 32.3%
- Gahlert (10) and Evans (9) led all players in scoring at the half
- The Tars cut their deficit to four points just two and a half minutes into the second half
- Lynn held Rollins scoreless for four minutes to open a 54-46 lead with less than 11 minutes left
- Rollins immediately retaliated with a 12-0 run to go up by four at the 6:54 mark
- Evans made his fourth three to stop the Lynn drought and make it a one-possession game
- Evans made back-to-back baskets to cut Rollins' lead to 66-65 with 2:03 remaining in the second half
- Kapic grabbed an offensive board and made the put-back to tie the game, 67-67, with :31 left
- After a Tars basket with :08 left, Gilmore rushed down the court and was fouled on a layup attempt with a chance to send the game to overtime at the line
- Gilmore made both free throws to push the game to OT
- Rollins opened overtime with four consecutive points, but a 7-1 Lynn run followed, capped off by a Tradavis Thompson three-pointer
- After trading free throws, a Kapic steal in the waning seconds sealed the win for Lynn
- Rollins was held without a field goal over the final 3:53 of overtime
FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS:
- Gahlert raised his season averages to 14.8 ppg and 7.6 rpg
- Evans contributed 16 points and shot 4-for-8 from three-point range
- Kapic collected his second double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds
- Gilmore leads the SSC with 7.6 assists per game
- Brad McCabe was a game-high +14, posting seven points, seven boards and two blocks
- Lynn out-rebounded Rollins 46-33 and had a 15-3 advantage in second chance points
UP NEXT:
- Lynn hosts Lake Erie on Thursday, Dec. 14 at 7:00 pm
