WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Palm Beach Atlantic men's basketball returned to the win column after its SSC matchup against the 2019 South Region runner-up, Lynn, on Wednesday night.
After losing two tough games last week, the Sailfish rebounded by picking up a convincing 91-77 win over Lynn (7-9, 3-7 SSC). After trading buckets through the first five minutes of play, PBA (12-6, 5-5 SSC) pulled away from the Fighting Knights at the 14-minute mark in the first half and never looked back thanks to some stout defense which held Lynn to 36 percent shooting from the field.
Jules Jasmin led the 'Fish with 24 points and nine rebounds.
Dan Largey followed with an 18-point performance with five rebounds and two assists.
Darhius Nunn was right behind him with 14 points to go with nine assists and six steals.
The first half had a frantic pace as both teams rushed to push the ball up the floor. PBA began to create separation with a 12-4 run starting at the 13-minute mark which included 3-pointers from
Casey Carpinello and
Aleksa Rakic. The early run caused Lynn to switch to a zone defense and PBA took advantage with 3-pointers from Largey,
De'Ondre Jackson and
Justin Nichelson giving the 'Fish a 36-20 lead with eight minutes left in the half.
Lynn did its best to cut into the deficit before the break. The Fighting Knights ended with half with an 8-1 run, including a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer; however, the Sailfish entered the break leading 45-34.
The Fighting Knights quickly cut into the PBA lead, starting the half on a 10-4 run to make it a five-point game. Just when the momentum was switching the visitor's way, the 'Fish worked their way to the foul line and knocked down five free throws to end Lynn's run. Minutes later, Lynn answered with two deep balls and two free throws to make it 66-62 PBA with 10 minutes left.
PBA was determined to keep its distance from the Fighting Knights as a jumper from Jackson kickstarted another run for the 'Fish which brought their lead back to double digits. A 5-0 run from the hosts put the game out of reach as PBA cruised to a 14-point victory over the Fighting Knights.
Despite giving up 21 offensive rebounds to the Fighting Knights and only grabbing 12 offensive boards of their own, the Sailfish outscored Lynn in second chance points 17-16. PBA had its way down low scoring 48 points in the paint. The 'Fish also excelled at taking care of the basketball as their eight turnovers were their lowest in a game this season.
The Sailfish will hit the road on Saturday to face Eckerd as they start the second half of their SSC schedule. The game in St. Petersburg, Fla. will tip-off at 4 p.m.
