BOCA RATON, Fla. - The Lynn University women's basketball team battled early and briefly held a second-quarter lead, but a strong second-half surge by Eckerd proved to be the difference as the Tritons defeated the Fighting Knights, 65-40, on Wednesday evening at the de Hoernle Sports & Cultural Center. Lynn now moves to 14-13 overall and 8-11 in Sunshine State Conference play with the setback.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Lynn won the opening tip, but both teams traded empty possessions in a defensive-minded start
- Hannah Wentworth recorded an early block and Serena Baker pulled down the defensive board to set the tone on the glass
- Wentworth put Lynn on the board at the 8:16 mark, knocking down a three-pointer off an Eckerd turnover, assisted by Baker, for a 3-0 lead
- After a Lynn turnover, the Tritons capitalized on second-chance opportunities, as Eckerd drilled a three-pointer to take a 7-3 lead
- Following a media timeout, Emily Jean-Glaude made an immediate impact off the bench, burying a three-pointer off a feed from Mocadlo to trim the deficit to 9-6
- Angelina DeLeon converted a layup off another Lynn steal to pull the Fighting Knights within one at 9-8
- Eckerd responded with a timely three to push the margin back to four (12-8) late in the quarter
- Eckerd missed a pair of free throws in the closing seconds as Lynn was unable to capitalize before the buzzer, trailing 12-10 at the end of the first
- After a defensive battle early in the second frame, Alana Francis sparked the Fighting Knights with a layup at the 7:22 mark to tie the game at 12-12
- Francis struck again less than 30 seconds later, finishing a fast-break layup off an Angelina DeLeon assist to give Lynn its first lead of the quarter, 14-12
- Later, DeLeon converted a pair of free throws to keep Lynn in front, 16-14
- Jean-Glaude extended the advantage with a three-pointer from the top of the arc, pushing the lead to 19-14 midway through the period
- Eckerd regained the lead on consecutive paint finishes, taking a 23-19 edge as Lynn hit a scoring drought
- Lynn had chances at the line late but was unable to convert, and Eckerd closed the half with a three-pointer in the final seconds
- The Tritons outscored Lynn 20-10 in the second quarter, taking a 32-20 lead into the halftime break
- Eckerd opened the half with a quick layup and used back-to-back three-pointers to push the lead to 40-21, forcing an early Lynn timeout
- DeLeon and Katie Tiffan combined to go 3-for-4 at the free-throw line to chip into the deficit, but the Tritons continued to capitalize on turnovers
- Eckerd closed the quarter on another three-pointer in the final seconds, taking a 57-27 lead into the fourth
- Eckerd opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer off a Lynn turnover to extend the lead past 30
- Tiffan provided a spark for the Fighting Knights, converting a layup and an and-one free throw to start the scoring for Lynn in the period
- Wentworth and Baker followed with back-to-back buckets to trim the deficit to 62-34 midway through the quarter
- After an Eckerd second-chance three pushed the margin back to 29, Lauriston came up with a steal that led to a fast-break three-pointer from Tiffan to make it 65-39
- Despite the late effort, the Fighting Knights were unable to close the gap as Eckerd secured the victory
 
FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS:
- Tiffan led the Fighting Knights with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting, adding four steals and two blocks in a strong two-way performance
- Jean-Glaude added nine points, knocking down a pair of three-pointers and going 3-of-4 from the free-throw line
- DeLeon finished with eight points and a team-high seven rebounds, shooting 6-of-8 at the line while adding two assists
- Wentworth chipped in five points, four rebounds and two steals, continuing to impact the game defensively
- Francis contributed four points and two blocks off the bench
- Lynn recorded 34 total rebounds and eight blocks as a team
- The Blue and White finished 12-of-19 (63.2 percent) from the free-throw line
 
UP NEXT:
The Fighting Knights close out the 2025-26 regular season on Saturday, heading to Melbourne to take on Florida Tech at 2 p.m. before turning their attention to the SSC Championship Tournament.