WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Palm Beach Atlantic men's basketball team returned to Rubin Arena for its home opener to face Florida Southern in a rematch from Saturday.
 
The Sailfish shot just 1-of-11 from 3-point range in a turnover-plagued first half which put PBA (1-1) behind by 10 at the break. The Sailfish responded in the second half by getting to the free throw line and knocking down their open jumpers. PBA put up a whopping 65 points in the second half to secure a 98-83 victory.
 
Jules Jasmin led the 'Fish with 19 points and seven rebounds while finishing 7-of-9 from the charity stripe. Dan Largey stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, 14 rebounds and six assists. Alexander Gorton tallied 14 points of his own to go with six rebounds and three assists. Matthew Johnson reached double-digit points, finishing with 10 points and two steals. Marcus Montalvo filled it up in the second half with nine points coming from three triples.
 
Similar to Saturday's matchup, the Sailfish got off to a hot start to the game, playing an aggressive press defense and jumping out to a 21-9 lead with six points coming from Jasmin and five points coming from Casey Carpinello. FSC (1-1) were quick to answer and in less than five minutes the Mocs took a 23-22 lead thanks to seven PBA turnovers in the latter part of the first half. The visitors ended the half on a 9-0 run to take a 43-33 lead into the halftime break.
 
On Saturday, the Mocs caught the hot hand in the second half; however, today it was the Sailfish who flipped the switch. A pair of 3-pointers from Largey and a triple from Aleksa Rakic got PBA back into the game. Back-to-back triples from Montvalo put the 'Fish back in front with 12 minutes remaining in the contest.
 
In the final 10 minutes of the game, PBA began to pull away. A pair of free throws from Carpinello kickstarted a 19-5 run by the 'Fish with a 3-pointer by Johnson giving the 'Fish an 85-71 lead. FSC struggled to battle its way back into the contest. The Mocs cut the deficit to nine, but the Sailfish sealed the game at the free throw line, cruising to a 98-83 win.
 
PBA shot 51 percent from the field for the game after a 65 percent field goal percentage in the second period. That includes an 8-for-11 performance from beyond the arc in the half. The 'Fish were automatic from the charity stripe converting on 23-of-26 free throw attempts. The PBA defense held FSC to a 37 percent field goal percentage for the contest. The 'Fish came out on top in the rebounding battle, outrebounding the Mocs 46-41.
 
The Sailfish are scheduled to face Tampa on Wednesday. The game at Rubin Arena is scheduled to tip-off at 6 p.m.