BOCA RATON, Fla. - A defensive battle ended with an offensive play.
Lynn's Darius Moore dribbled the length of the floor and made a driving layup as time expired to lift the No. 11 Fighting Knights to a 55-53 win over the No. 23 Eckerd men's basketball team on Saturday, completing a regular-season sweep.
The Tritons had two chances to take the lead inside the final minute but failed to score on either possession. With 4.3 seconds remaining, Moore raced down the floor and finished a contested attempt with his left hand.
Eckerd came back from a 12-point deficit in the second half and briefly took the lead but could not extend it to more than two points.
HOW IT ENDED
Final: #11 Lynn 55, #23 Eckerd 53
Records: Eckerd 16-5 (9-4 SSC); Lynn 17-3 (10-3 SSC)
KEY MOMENTS
- Eckerd never held the lead in the first half, though the score was tied three times in the early moments. Lynn pulled in front by six with 12:00 left and held the lead for the remainder of the half. The Fighting Knights went ahead by as many as 12 before the Tritons pulled back within nine at halftime following a putback by Drushaun McLaurn at the buzzer.
- Lynn again went up by 12 early in the second half, but Eckerd answered with a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to two points with 14:45 to play. A McLaurn free throw later made it a one-point game, and moments later Marquis Gilbert gave the Tritons their first lead (46-45) via a 3-pointer at the 7:40 mark.
- After the Knights retook the lead, EC got four quick points on a McLaurn layup and a Marco Behori steal that led to a Gianni Dailey layup with 3:25 left. Jamal Palmer put Lynn back in front with a 3-pointer a minute later, and McLaurn tied the game by making 1-of-2 from the free throw line at 1:53 to play.
- Both teams came up empty on their next two possessions. After a second stop, the Tritons had a chance to take the lead with mere seconds left but Behori's 3-pointer was off the mark. Lynn grabbed the rebound and called a timeout just before Eckerd stole the ball back. Â Out of the timeout, Moore took the inbounds pass and raced the length of the floor to set up his game-winner.
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Both teams shot the ball poorly. Eckerd made 34.0 percent of its attempts from the floor while Lynn made 32.8 percent. The Fighting Knights created nine more shots, however, thanks in part to 17 offensive rebounds.
- McLaurn scored a game-high 18 points and was the only Triton to reach double figures.
- Myron Hagins narrowly missed a double-double, finishing with nine points and nine rebounds.
- Lynn swept the regular-season series from Eckerd for the first time since 2014-15.
UP NEXT
The Tritons have a bye on Wednesday before returning to the McArthur Center to host Barry on Saturday, February 9, at 4:00 PM.
