VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Palm Beach Atlantic women's basketball team took the floor for the second time this season against West Florida. The Sailfish fought back from an early deficit but the Argonauts won out late in the fourth quarter to claim the 79-70 victory.

The Sailfish got off to a slow start shooting in the opening quarter as they started 3-of-13 from the floor. Kash Ayuso and Sia Williams each hit from beyond the arc as the Sailfish were outscored 18-9 in the opening 10 minutes. Down in a hole early, the Sailfish battled their way back through the deficit to take the lead in the second quarter. 

PBA was 10-of-15 from the field in the second as they scored 24 points and limited the Argos to just 13. Sia Williams and Maria Benitez-Zayas combined to do the majority of the offensive work for the 'Fish in the quarter as they scored seven and six points respectively in the second. The Sailfish took the lead into the halftime locker room, 33-31.

The two sides played an even third quarter as they each scored 20 points. PBA knocked down four three as they received a balanced offensive attack from Alisa Marlow, Ayuso, Williams, and Benitez-Zayas. They all scored in double-digits for the Sailfish as the prior three all finished the game with 14 points to lead the team. Last season's All-SSC selection Shekinah Guthrie struggled with foul trouble throughout the game, logging just 12 minutes and scoring four points. 

The 'Fish carried their two-point lead into the fourth quarter in a tight contest. The Sailfish trailed by one point 59-58 at the five-minute mark when West Florida would go on an 8-3 run following a PBA technical foul. Ayuso scored six points in the fourth quarter to try to keep the Sailfish afloat but they were just 4-of-17 in the final quarter. The Argos did a majority of their work from the free-throw line in the final 10 minutes to build their lead as they went 17-of-24 in the fourth. 

The Sailfish attack looked much sharper than in their opener the day prior as they shot over 40 percent from the field and hit nine shots from behind the arc. In a game that was close throughout, the difference was the Sailfish being outrebounded 31-21 and outscored from the line 29-11. West Florida won the fourth quarter 28-17 to build a cushion late and take the nine-point win.

Up next, the Sailfish will return to West Palm Beach for their home-opener against Colorado Christian on Nov. 18. CCU is 0-2 on the season with two losses against top-10 opponents.