BOCA RATON, Fla. - The Lynn University men's basketball team battled from start to finish but couldn't overcome a decisive middle stretch, falling 88-78 to Embry-Riddle on Saturday night. Despite multiple runs on both sides of halftime and a strong closing effort, the Fighting Knights slipped to 12-13 overall and 7-11 in conference play after being unable to fully erase the deficit.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Embry-Riddle won the opening tip and struck first with a dunk in the paint, but Lynn answered quickly as Austin Vick finished a layup off a Max Polk assist to even the score early
- The Eagles used efficient interior scoring and perimeter shooting to build an early edge, highlighted by a three and multiple paint finishes to take a 12-6 lead at the 15-minute mark
- Embry-Riddle extended its lead with second-chance opportunities and fast-break points, pushing the margin to double digits midway through the half
- Sveinn Birgisson provided a spark off the bench with back-to-back second-chance buckets, including a tip-in, helping Lynn trim the deficit
- Lynn generated momentum late in the half with energy on the glass, as John Roland converted a second-chance dunk and later drilled a three-pointer to spark a rally
- In the final two minutes, Lynn capitalized on turnovers with fast-break finishes from Roland and Polk, cutting the deficit to 39-34
- Antoine Jacks capped the half with a layup in the final seconds, sending the Fighting Knights into the break trailing 39-34 after closing the half on a strong run
- Lynn came out of the break with a burst, as Polk scored on a paint jumper and then finished a runout layup off a Braydon Iuli assists, trimming the deficit to just 39-38 in the opening minute
- Jacks answered with a smooth jumper in the lane to keep Lynn within one possession early
- Vick knocked down a key three from Roland to make it a five-point game (48-43) heading into the first media timeout of the half
- Out of the timeout, Lynn continued to battle, with Birgisson converting a second-chance finish to cut it back to 52-45
- A tough middle stretch swung momentum the other way, as a turnover and a couple of second-chance sequences helped the visitors stretch the margin to 62-46
- Lynn responded with a big shot from Roland, who buried a three to make it 62-49, but the Fighting Knights couldn't string together stops to fully close the gap
- The Fighting Knights stayed in attack mode, getting to the line as Iuli knocked down two free throws, but another quick swing pushed the deficit back out to 72-54, prompting a Lynn timeout
- Late in the half, Lynn found another burst with a transition three from Polk, then answered again with a Birgisson three off a turnover to make it 80-64
- The Fighting Knights showed plenty of fight in the closing minutes as Christian Maxon hit a three and later Justin Bubak buried a three to pull Lynn within 85-70
- Lynn kept pressing late as Maxon knocked down another transition three and Bubak finished a fast-break layup off a steal to cut it to 85-75 with 1:35 remaining
- The Fighting Knights closed the final minute with free throws from Maxon and JP Baron, continuing to compete to the horn, 88-78
 
FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS:
- Roland led the Fighting Knights with 24 points, five rebounds, and one assist, shooting 9-11 from the field and 3-4 from behind the arc
- Roland has scored 19.8 PPG over his last five contests with 24 points being his second highest scoring performance of the season (26 @ NSU (2/11/26))
- Polk added 11 points, two rebounds and three assists
- Birgisson did it all, scoring 10 points while adding four rebounds and a block
- Jacks tallied a game-high six assists while tacking on six points and two steals
- He has tallied five or more assists in each of his last five games
- Iuli grabbed five rebounds, four assists, and three steals
- Vick added five points, five rebounds, and a block while knocking down a corner three
- Maxon and Bubak combined for 12 points, connecting on three deep shots in the closing minutes
 
UP NEXT:
Lynn returns home for Senior Night on Wednesday, Feb. 25 as the Fighting Knights host Eckerd at 7:30 p.m.