MELBOURNE, Fla. - Lynn University men's basketball defeated Dominican (N.Y.) 82-77 on Thursday night in the opening day of the Florida Tech Winter Classic. Carson Smith was a standout performer, posting 23 points and four steals, while Braydon Iuli dished out a season-high 11 assists.  

With the victory, the Fighting Knights improved their record to 6-3 overall and extended their winning streak to three games. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: 
- Iuli kicked off the scoring with a bucket in the paint 
- Lynn quickly extended its lead by going on a six-point run in the first three minutes that was capped off by a layup from Sveinn Birgisson
- Osei Price sunk a three-pointer to push the Blue and White ahead by four, 15-11, with 14 minutes left in the period 
- Smith knocked down a three-pointer to extend Lynn's lead to 28-21 
- The remainder of the half saw both teams trade scores over the final minutes
- Lynn entered the break holding a three point advantage, 40-37 
- The Chargers started the second half by making two free throws, but Smith quickly added four points to make it 44-39 
- Dominican rallied to tie the game at 44 with 17:32 left to play 
- John Roland restored another seven-point lead for Lynn with a layup at the 16:11 mark 
- The Chargers again fought back and evened the score at 60-60 with 9:43 remaining 
- Lynn regained control as Smith and Jordan Wilkins scored consecutive baskets, pushing the lead to 70-64 with just 5:30 left in the game 
- Iuli extended Lynn's advantage with a layup to mark the eighth seven-point lead of the game with less than two minutes to go 
- The Fighting Knights maintained their lead through the final moments and sealed the victory at 82-77 with two free throws from Austin Vick 
 
FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS: 
- Four Lynn players scored in double figures: Smith (23), Iuli (11), Price (11), and Leo Beath (10) 
- Over his last three games Smith is 12-for-21 (52%) from beyond the arc and is averaging 20.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.3 steals per game
- Smith has scored in double figures in every game this season
- Iuli leads the team with 46 assists and is averaging 6.8 over his last four games
- Lynn totaled 39 rebounds for the night 
- The Fighting Knights outpaced the Chargers in assists (19-16) and steals (9-3) 
- Price efficiently shot 66.7% from the field and 60% from three 
- Lynn is averaging over 85 points per game over its three-game winning streak

UP NEXT: 
- The Fighting Knights will stay in Melbourne to play Trinity Baptist on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 7:30 pm