TAMPA, Fla. - The Lynn University men's basketball team erased a first-half deficit and pulled within one late in the second half, but a timely response from Tampa proved decisive as the Spartans held on for a 76-65 victory on Wednesday night in Tampa. With the setback, the Fighting Knights move to 12-12 overall and 7-10 in Sunshine State Conference play, despite a spirited comeback effort that saw Lynn cut a double-digit margin to just one point late in the contest.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Tampa came out firing from deep, knocking down three triples in the opening two minutes to build a 9-0 advantage and force an early Lynn timeout
- Lynn steadied itself with energy on the glass as Austin Vick finished a second-chance tip-in for the Fighting Knights' first points
- The Blue and White continued to chip away in the paint with John Roland converting a layup off an Antoine Jacks assist, followed by a finish from Matthew Puodziukaitis to make it 15-6
- Tampa answered each push with perimeter shooting and transition offense, stretching the lead into double digits for much of the first half
- Lynn found a spark late in the half as Puodziukaitis threw down a dunk off a feed from Braydon Iuli and Roland added a second-chance layup to cut into the deficit
- JP Baron drilled a three-pointer and Lynn's offensive rebounding created extra chances as the Fighting Knights continued to battle back
- A takeaway from Iuli set up a fast-break three from Justin Bubak, trimming the margin as Lynn closed the half with multiple scores off turnovers, 50-34
- Lynn opened the second half with strong interior play, as Roland scored on a putback and followed with another finish in the lane to bring Lynn within 50-39
- The Fighting Knights kept attacking: Roland scored again and Max Polk added a paint jumper to cut UT's lead to single digits, 54-45
- Bubak knocked down a key three and Jacks followed with a triple of his own as Lynn continued to shrink the gap
- A pair of free throws from Iuli pulled Lynn within three, 59-56, keeping the pressure on the Spartans
- Lynn got it all the way to a one-point game when Polk converted two free throws, making it 61-60 with less than 10 minutes remaining in regulation
- Tampa responded with a quick run at the rim, using back-to-back dunks/paint finishes to push the lead back out to 67-60 with under six minutes to play
- Lynn continued to fight in the closing stretch with second-chance points and late free throws from Roland, but it wasn't enough to complete the comeback as Tampa secured the 76-65 decision
 
FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS:
- Roland led the Fighting Knights in scoring for the third game in a row with 19 points, shooting 8-of-14 from the floor while adding 7 rebounds
- Iuli finished with 10 points, going 6-of-7 at the free-throw line, and pulled down 4 rebounds while dishing out 3 assists
- Polk contributed 7 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals, logging 29 minutes in the starting lineup
- Puodziukaitis provided a strong interior presence off the bench with 7 points, 7 rebounds, and a block
- Bubak chipped in 7 points, knocking down 2 three-pointers, as part of Lynn's bench production
- Jacks added 5 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds, helping facilitate the offense throughout his 28 minutes of playtime
- Baron scored 5 points on an efficient 2-of-3 shooting, including a three-pointer, off the bench
- Vick hauled in 6 rebounds, including 3 offensive boards, while adding 3 points and anchoring Lynn's effort on the glass
- Birgisson recorded 4 rebounds, 1 block, and 1 steal
- As a team, Lynn finished with 35 rebounds, including 18 offensive boards, scored 36 points in the paint, and totaled 24 bench points in the contest
 
UP NEXT:
Lynn returns home for the final games of the 2025-26 regular season home slate, beginning with Embry-Riddle on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 4:00 p.m.