FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - No. 5 Lynn won its opening round match against No. 4 Valdosta State 86-74 in NCAA South Regional action on Saturday night. The Fighting Knights led for nearly 35 minutes and shot 52% from field, including 61% in the second half, to advance to the NCAA South Region Semifinals.
The Fighting Knights were led by
Carson Smith's 26 points and a double-double from
Leo Beath (22 points, 14 rebounds). The Blue and White will face No. 1 seed Nova Southeastern tomorrow night at 7:30 pm.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Osei Price got things rolling for the Fighting Knights early, driving to the basket for the first points of the game, 2-0.
- Jordan Wilkins kept the offense moving for Lynn, draining a three-pointer to give the Blue and White a 5-0 advantage before Beath slammed down a resounding dunk to push Lynn's lead to seven, 7-0.
- Valdosta State began to find some rhythm offensively, striking back with an 8-5 run to make it a four-point ballgame, 12-8.
- A three-pointer from Smith and a layup from Beath pushed the Lynn lead out to six before the Blazers answered back with a 3-0 run heading into a break, 19-16.
- VSU's Peter McKey dropped in a three to make it a 21-21 ballgame with 9:00 left to play in the half before an "and-one" play from the Blazers gave Valdosta State its first lead of the game, 24-21.
- The Blue and White responded with a 7-2 run, capped off by a driving layup from John Roland to give Lynn its lead right back, 28-26.
- Smith closed out an 11-5 spurt for the Fighting Knights, cashing in a last-second three to give Lynn an eight-point lead heading into the half, 39-31.
- Valdosta State came out of the gate hot to start the second half, outscoring the Fighting Knights 12-4 to start the frame, 43-43.
- Lynn answered back with an offensive flurry, capitalizing on a big three from Smith to give the Blue and White a seven-point edge heading into the first timeout of the second half, 52-45.
- The Fighting Knights proceeded to run up their lead, going up by 14 following a pair of free-throws from Roland, 59-45.
- The Blazers battled back, rallying for a 13-2 run to get right back in the game, 61-58.
- With VSU threatening, Braydon Iuli found Beath for a big-time three on a fast break to put the Fighting Knights up by eight, 68-60.
- With the game coming down to the wire, JP Baron cashed in a clutch three-pointer to give Lynn a six-point advantage with just under two to play, 79-73.
- Lynn picked up two massive blocks in the final minute of play before sinking a few final free throws as the Fighting Knights clinched a berth to the second round of the NCAA South Regional, 86-74.
FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS:
- Lynn shot 52% from the field and held VSU to 39%
- The Fighting Knights shot 61% (17-for-28) in the second half
- 21 of Lynn's 33 field goals were assisted as six different players recorded at least three helpers
- The Fighting Knights held the edge in rebounds (41-35), second-chance points (11-6) and points in the paint (46-34)
- The Blue and White led for 34:50 and only trailed for 2:02
- Lynn held Valdosta State to its lowest point total of the season
- Smith is averaging 23.8 points and 4.5 threes per game over his last six contests
- Beath has averaged 19.0 points and 12.2 rebounds per game since Feb. 1 (11 games) and has eight double-doubles over that span
- Roland tied a season high with 15 points and didn't miss a shot (6-for-6 from the field, 3-for-3 from the free throw line)
- Lynn set a season high in blocks with six, led by three from Roland
- Iuli led Lynn with a +20 +/- over his 18 minutes of action
UP NEXT:
- Lynn will advance to the next round of the tournament, taking on top-seeded Nova Southeastern on Sunday night at 7:30 p.m.
