MELBOURNE, Fla. - The Lynn University men's basketball team finished the regular season on a high note Saturday afternoon, defeating Florida Tech 76-68 at the Clemente Center to secure its second consecutive victory. Behind 21 points from Antoine Jacks and a balanced effort that saw four Fighting Knights score in double figures, Lynn improved to 14-13 overall and 9-11 in Sunshine State Conference play. The Blue and White used timely defense, dominant rebounding, and clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch to close out the regular season with momentum heading into the SSC Championship
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Antoine Jacks set the tone early, jumping a passing lane for a steal and knocking down a three-pointer off a Braydon Iuli assist to give Lynn a quick 3-0 lead
- The Fighting Knights continued to pressure defensively as Max Polk recorded a steal that led to another Jacks triple, extending the advantage to 6-0
- Florida Tech answered at the line and with a transition three to tie the game at 6-6 before taking a brief 8-6 lead
- Sveinn Birgisson sparked a fast-break opportunity with a steal, finding Polk for a layup to even the score at 8-8
- Polk pushed the tempo in transition, scoring back-to-back fast-break layups to put Lynn back in front, 10-8 and later 15-10
- Jacks stayed hot from beyond the arc, drilling his third three-pointer of the half to give the Blue and White a 13-8 cushion
- Polk connected from deep midway through the half off a Jacks assist, reclaiming an 18-16 advantage
- After Florida Tech surged ahead late, Iuli finished through contact and later converted a tip-in to keep Lynn within striking distance
- In the closing minute, Iuli buried a clutch three-pointer off a Polk assist to trim the deficit to 32-30
- The Fighting Knights forced multiple turnovers in the final seconds, heading into the break down just two after an energetic, back-and-forth opening half
- Lynn opened the half with pressure defense, trading turnovers before John Roland got to the line and knocked down two free throws to tie it at 32-32
- Iuli followed with a strong finish at the rim to push Lynn in front, 34-32, before Florida Tech answered with a pair of triples to swing momentum, 38-34
- The Fighting Knights responded in transition as Polk forced a turnover and fed Jacks for a fast-break layup to cut it to 38-36
- Justin Bubak stepped up at the stripe, sinking two free throws to even the game again, 38-38
- Christian Maxon capped a quick response with a jumper off a Sveinn Birgisson assist to make it 40-40
- Matthew Puodziukaitis gave Lynn the lead with a finish inside, then completed the three-point play to stretch it to 43-40
- Jacks stayed aggressive on both ends, creating another takeaway that led to Birgisson's layup, then setting up another bucket as Lynn built a 45-40 advantage
- Bubak drilled a three and Lynn's defense continued to force mistakes, pushing the lead to 48-40 with 11:21 remaining
- Florida Tech trimmed the margin with timely threes, but Lynn answered with back-to-back daggers from Jacks and JP Baron to extend the cushion to 54-46
- Iuli added a finish at the rim to make it 56-46, and after another Florida Tech run, Bubak and Roland delivered key buckets to keep Lynn in control, 60-52
- With under six minutes left, Lynn stayed poised: Jacks converted at the line, and despite Florida Tech cutting it to one late, Polk scored in traffic and added a free throw to keep Lynn up 70-66
- In the final two minutes, Polk finished another layup, and Jacks came up with a steal and calmly knocked down two free throws to extend the lead to 74-68
- Lynn closed it out with another defensive takeaway and a late Roland layup, sealing the win at 76-68
 
FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS:
- As a team, Lynn shot 27-for-70 (38.6%) from the field and 8-for-35 (22.9%) from three in the road win
- The Fighting Knights controlled the glass with a 41-40 rebounding edge and posted 14 second-chance points
- Lynn forced the issue defensively, scoring 26 points off turnovers and finishing with 10 fast-break points
- Jacks led all scorers with 21 points, hitting 4-of-10 from three and adding 4 steals
- The senior guard has erupted for a combined 46 points in his last two starts
- Polk followed with 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals
- Polk has dropped double-digit points in all but four games this season
- Iuli added 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting, while Roland posted 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds (8 offensive)
- Roland finished the regular season with a whopping 10 double-doubles
- The bench provided a lift with 17 points, led by Justin Bubak's 7 points (including a key three)
- Lynn made it count at the stripe late, shooting 11-for-12 (91.7%) in the second half to close it out

UP NEXT:
Lynn has a few days to prepare for the SSC Championship quarterfinals which will take place on Tuesday, Mar. 3