FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Palm Beach Atlantic women's basketball gave the No. 3 ranked West Texas A&M team a scare at the Cruizin' Classic on Tuesday, as the Sailfish led by as many as eight points and hung with the Lady Buffs well into the fourth quarter but fell a bit short, losing 68-56.  The Sailfish fall to 1-7 on the season while WTAMU remains perfect at 10-0.

PBA got off to a nice start on both ends of the floor, as they scored 34 first-half points and held the high-powered offense of the Lady Buffs to 37 while forcing eight turnovers.  PBA trailed 21-20 early in the second quarter before going on a 9-0 run to take an eight-point lead with five minutes left in the first half.  The Lady Buffs then went on a nice run of their own, as their offense started to click late in the first half.  West Texas A&M took a 37-34 lead into the half.  Jonika Garvin led the way for the Sailfish with 14 first-half points and six rebounds while Darsan DeShazier added six points of her own in the opening 20 minutes.

The Sailfish gave the No. 3 ranked Lady Buffs all they could handle in the third quarter, as they narrowed the deficit to just one at the end of three.  Taylor Laabs and DeShazier both had nice second halfs offensively and finished in double-figure scoring on the day.  Unfortunately for the Sailfish they could never complete their second-half comeback attempt and fell 68-56.  Garvin finished with a career-high 22 points and 11 rebounds on the afternoon.  Deshazier and Labbs both finished with 10 points while Ciara Cumbie finished with five points and seven boards.

The Sailfish will now have a couple of weeks off, as they will return to the court on Dec. 29 for a home game against Florida National University.  The game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. tip inside Rubin Arena.