WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Lynn women's basketball team held off Palm Beach Atlantic's third quarter surge and scored 27 points in the fourth quarter to secure a 78-72 win on Wednesday night. The victory improves the Fighting Knights record to 19-7 overall and 12-6 in the SSC.
With 19 wins, head coach Julia Tucker's team has tied a school record for wins in a season during the NCAA Division II era with the 2009-10 squad that won the SSC Tournament Title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Lynn jumped out to a 5-0 lead on graduate student Lucija Kostic's layup and a field goal and free throw by sophomore Ella Fiore
- Sophomore Kennedi Philson made two straight baskets to put the Fighting Knights ahead 11-4 with 4:41 left in the first quarter
- PBA ended the first quarter with a 13-4 run to put them ahead 21-20
- Graduate student Jada Marone began a hot-shooting second quarter for Lynn with a three pointer
- The Fighting Knights went on a 9-0 run to take a 39-28 lead with 2:16 left in the first half
- PBA's Mariyah Fletcher made a layup at the buzzer to cut the Lynn lead to seven, 43-36, at halftime
- A Kostic basket and free throws by Fiore gave the Fighting Knights a 47-40 lead at 8:20 in the third quarter
- The Sailfish went on a 16-4 run to close out the third quarter with a 56-51 lead
- PBA took their largest lead at six points, 60-54, after two Kash Ayuso free throws with 7:29 left
- Sophomore Rachel Romich scored four straight points to cut the PBA lead to one, 61-60
- Graduate student Meghan Cramb knocked down a three pointer and Marone made four consecutive free throws to give Lynn a 67-64 advantage with 4:02 left
- After the Sailfish tied the game with a three pointer, Kostic made two baskets to give Lynn a four-point lead with 2:50 left
- The Fighting Knights scored their final seven points at the free throw line, including Romich going 4-for-4 over that stretch, to hold on for the 78-72 win
FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS:
- Fiore filled the stat sheet with 16 points, 10 rebounds, five steals, three assists and two blocks
- Kostic posted a season-best 14 points and a game-high seven assists
- Kostic ranks in the top 20 in the SSC in rebounds (4.9), assists (4.0) and blocks (1.0) per game
- Marone was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line as Lynn shot 81% from the charity stripe (17-for-21)
- The Fighting Knights were +26 in the 22 minutes Marone was in the game
- The Lynn bench outscored PBA 27-11
- Philson scored 13 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in 12 minutes off the bench
- Highlighted by Fiore and Philson each going 3-for-3, the Fighting Knights shot 91% (10-for-11) in the second quarter
- Lynn shot 60.4% for the game while Palm Beach Atlantic shot 45.3%
- The Fighting Knights outscored Palm Beach Atlantic 27-16 in the fourth quarter
- Lynn has won a season-high five consecutive games and are now 7-4 on the road this season
UP NEXT:
The Fighting Knights are home against Saint Leo on Saturday, February 11, at 2:00 pm
