WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Palm Beach Atlantic women's basketball team returned home to play their first game at Rubin Arena this season against the Colorado Christian Cougars. The two sides were close throughout the first half, but the Cougars pulled away in the third quarter and held onto a 75-63 victory. The Sailfish fall to 0-3 early in the season.

Both sides came out of the gates hot from the floor as PBA hit on eight of their first 15 shots to open the quarter. PBA did their work inside to open the game as they were a perfect 7-for-7 from inside the arc and just 1-for-8 from three. Kash Ayuso led the way with seven points while Mariyah Fletcher provided a spark off the bench with six points, but the Sailfish struggled with turnovers early as they committed seven in the first quarter. The Cougars were 9-of-19 in the opening quarter and led 22-19 after the first ten minutes of play. 

Each side cooled off in the second quarter, with each team scoring 13 points apiece. Maria Benitez-Zayas scored four points and added two assists while Sia Williams hit a three and dished out two assists of her own. The 'Fish were 6-of-20 in the quarter but were able to limit the Cougars to just 33 percent shooting. The two sides went into the halftime locker room with CCU holding a narrow 35-32 lead.

Six different players scored for the Sailfish in the third quarter, led by Fletcher who scored four points in the frame. She finished with 12 points and seven rebounds, six offensive. Despite the multitude of scorers in the quarter, PBA was able to muster just 14 points in the third compared to CCU's 24 to build a double-digit lead. The Cougars shot over 60 percent in the quarter Sophia Karasinski scored 10 of her game-high 20 points. 

The Sailfish battled back late in the third and throughout the fourth, hoping to make a run to cut the deficit but just couldn't put together the combination of enough stops and baskets to threaten the Cougars. PBA shot 36 percent from the floor on the night and was 6-of-29 from three as CCU sat back in a zone for the majority of the game. The 'Fish finished with four players in double figures, led by Ayuso who finished with 15, Williams scored 14, Fletcher added 12, Benitez-Zayas scored 11. Ayuso and Fletcher added seven boards each while Benitez-Zayas dished out seven assists. 

Up next, the Sailfish will dive into a Sunshine State Conference battle as Rollins heads to Rubin Arena on Saturday afternoon. The Tars currently carry a 2-1 record on the season.