LAKELAND, Fla. – The Palm Beach Atlantic men's basketball team faced its second top-25 matchup in four days in the form of No. 11 Florida Southern.
 
After a poor-shooting first half created a 15-point deficit for the Sailfish, PBA (11-6, 4-5 Sunshine State Conference) pushed Florida Southern (15-2, 7-2 SSC) to its limit. After the Mocs failed to ice the game at the free-throw line, the 'Fish held the ball, trailing by two with eight seconds remaining. De'Ondre Jackson got a good look out of the timeout, but his jumper was off the mark, and the tip-in by Malek Barber just rimmed out. Jules Jasmin followed with a converted tip-in, but it was just a few ticks too late as No. 11 FSC escaped with an 81-79 victory.
 
The second-half comeback was due in large part to the efforts of Jackson and Barber. Jackson had 19 of his team-high 22 points in the second period, while Barber nearly had a double-double in the half with 14 points and nine rebounds. Barber finished with a double-double of 18 points and 16 rebounds. Jasmin also finished with 18 points. The Sailfish dominated the battle of the boards, outrebounding the Mocs 50-28, including a 28-12 advantage in the second period. 
 
The Mocs wasted little time building a lead to start the contest. FSC started the game with a 12-0 run including two 3-pointers. The PBA offense struggled to get things going on the offensive end as FSC got out to a 27-11 lead through the first 10 minutes of action.
 
PBA failed to chase the Mocs off the 3-point line as the hosts knocked down eight shots from beyond the arc, meanwhile the 'Fish ended the half going 0-for-11 from deep. Every time PBA began to cut into the deficit, the Mocs responded with a 3-pointer to extend the lead. The Sailfish were held to 30 percent shooting from the field, but entered halftime within striking distance, trailing 44-29.
 
The 'Fish began to make their run five minutes into the second half. Two old-fashioned 3-point plays from Jackson and Jasmin along with a 3-pointer from Barber made it 57-50 FSC with 14 minutes remaining. The Mocs tried to keep their distance, but the Sailfish continued to push. Minutes later, a 3-pointer from Barber and a layup from Jasmin made it a five-point game with eight minutes left.
 
With six minutes left, a 7-0 run from FSC increased the Mocs' lead to 11 which some thought put an end for the Sailfish, but PBA kept fighting. An answer in the form of an 11-3 run capped, off with a 3-pointer from Jackson, made it a one-possession game with two and a half minutes left. A Mocs' layup made it 81-76 with a minute to go, but a 3-pointer by Jackson kept the 'Fish in it. PBA nearly performed highway robbery against FSC, but just came up short at the buzzer leading to the 81-79 win.
 
PBA totaled 20 offensive rebounds in the game, but the boards led to just 13 second-chance points. The Sailfish ended the game going 4-for-23 from deep while FSC shot 44 percent from 3-point land on 27 attempts.
 
The Sailfish return home to face Lynn on Wednesday. The game at Rubin Arena takes place at 7:30 p.m.