WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Palm Beach Atlantic University men's basketball team defeated Caldwell University in a Sunday afternoon matchup between the two teams. The Sailfish (4-7) commanded the game and ended up beating the Cougars (5-4) by double digits with a final score of 84-73. With the victory, PBA extends their winning streak to three games.
The first half started out slow with both teams still finding their bearings but eventually heated up to have an evenly matched first half. The Cougars were up 13-12 with 11 minutes to go before the Sailfish would go on a nine-point run to take a 21-13. All nine points were scored by De'Ondre Jackson which came from a layup, a dunk, two free throws, and topped off with a three-pointer. The Cougars would remain in the game thanks to some timely shots and good defense. In the next five minutes of play Matthew Johnson, Caleb Edwards, and Casey Carpinello would all connect from three giving the 'Fish a 35-28 lead with 3 minutes remaining. Caldwell would answer back with two threes of their own and a six point run to end the half putting the score at 39-37 in favor of the Sailfish. PBA finished the half 14-for-25 from the floor and 4-for-9 from beyond the arch.
The 'Fish came out strong to start the second half before slowing down in the middle. But they managed to get back in gear with some strong defense that lead to easy buckets. PBA captured a five-point lead at the 16-minute mark on a Malek Barber layup. The Sailfish would go cold from the floor after that, sprinkling in some made shots from Bakari Warthen and Edwards again but the lead diminished and Caldwell was up two with 12 minutes to play. The lead then changed hands four times in the next three minutes and eventually Caldwell saw their last lead of the night dissipate on free throws from Casey Carpinello due to a technical foul. The 'Fish would dominate the rest of the game as Jackson would once again score nine points in a row and extend the lead to 16 points with only two minutes left to play. The Cougars would score five straight points to end the game but it was not nearly enough as the final score was 84-73.
PBA's bench would be a huge upside in the game as the Sailfish got 39 points off the bench, most of which came from Jackson who scored 26 points on the night going 10-for-18 from the floor and 2-for-6 from three. Jackson would also grab six rebounds while accumulating three steals throughout the game. Jules Jasmin and Warthen would each score 11 points for the Sailfish. Jasmin was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field as he saw limited playing time due to a hard fall in the first half. He did, however, manage to lead the team in rebounds with seven and went 1-for-2 from the free throw line. Barber had nine points in the contest and swiped two steals as well. Carpinello and Edwards would combine for 16 points, each scoring eight in the duration of the game. Overall PBA shot 54 percent from the field and 41 percent from three in a game which they also forced 18 turnovers and outrebounded the Cougars 34-to-30.
The Sailfish will resume Sunshine State Conference play when they return to action on Jan. 2 as they travel to Tampa to take on the Spartans. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 pm.
