COLUMBIA, S.C. – Palm Beach Atlantic men’s basketball team opened up the 2014-15 season in South Carolina on Sunday afternoon, taking down Benedict College 70-65 behind the strong play of Derick Yepes and Evin Graham.

Yepes, a junior transfer from Lehigh, Florida, netted 18 points thanks to 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the three-point line in his debut in the blue and white. Graham, a senior from Ft. Myers, Florida, added 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

The Sailfish trailed 33-32 at halftime, with the Tigers shooting 52% (14-for-27) from the floor in the opening stanza. After shooting 33% (11-for-33) in the first half, Palm Beach Atlantic put together a strong second half on both ends of the court. They shot 44% (12-for-27), including 6-for-13 from three, and held BC to 43% (12-for-28) and just 23% (3-for-13) from beyond the arc.

PBA dominated the glass on the afternoon, outrebounding the hosts 45-32 overall. The Sailfish also made more free throws (15-for-24) than the Tigers attempted (5-for-10).

Joining Yepes and Graham with strong nights in the season opener were Ronnell Ross, who had nine points and seven rebounds, and newcomer Clark Major, who had nine points and a game-high 10 boards.

Palm Beach Atlantic returns to action on Thursday, November 20th when they travel to DeLand, Florida to take on NCAA Division I opponent Stetson University at 7 pm.