BOCA RATON, Fla. – No. 3 Lynn never trailed in its 85-66 win over No. 6 Palm Beach Atlantic during the opening round of the Sunshine State Conference Tournament on Tuesday evening. The Fighting Knights buried 14 three-pointers on 42% shooting from beyond the arc and were guided by an early 25-4 run to advance to the next round. Lynn will face the second seed, Florida Southern, on Thursday in an SSC Semifinal matchup. The Fighting Knights are now 20-7 in 2024-25.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Carson Smith opened the game on a 5-0 run and scored Lynn's first eight points
- Lynn used a 25-4 run to take a commanding 30-8 lead, capped by two threes from JP Baron
- PBA responded to cut the Lynn lead to nine with just over four minutes remaining in the first half
- Osei Price's driving hook layup gave Lynn a 37-27 advantage with 2:45 left in the first frame
- Jordan Wilkins and Sveinn Birgisson hit back-to-back threes as Lynn led by 13
- The Fighting Knights led 43-33 at the break and shot 41% from three (9-for-22) over the first 20 minutes
- Following a steal by Wilkins, Price began the second half with a three
- Leo Beath's layup at the 16:53 mark pushed the Fighting Knights' margin to 16
- A Sailfish spurt cut Lynn's lead to 10, 57-47
- Brandon Iuli drove to the hoop, spun and found John Roland for a layup
- Roland made two more inside buckets, Price hit a pair of free throws and Beath hit a three to push the lead over 20, 71-49, and force a PBA timeout
- A Wilkins three, Beath dunk and Smith layup gave the Fighting Knights their largest lead at 29 with 4:05 remaining
- The Sailfish closed the game on a 9-0 run for an 85-66 final score
 
FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS:
- 22 of Lynn's 31 field goals were assisted
- Lynn led for 38:58 and did not trail in the contest
- Smith (18), Price (16) and Beath (13) all reached double figures in scoring
- Baron was 3-for-4 from three and is 14-for-21 from deep over his last five games
- Wilkins has made at least three three-pointers in eight straight contests
- Roland was 3-for-3 from the field and is shooting 56.7% this season
- Lynn has made at least 14 three-pointers in seven consecutive games
- 17 of the Fighting Knights' 20 wins have been by a double-digit margin

UP NEXT:
- No. 3 Lynn will travel to No. 2 Florida Southern on Thursday, March 6 at 7:00 pm in the SSC Tournament semifinals.