WINTER PARK, Fla. - The Palm Beach Atlantic women's basketball team made their first semifinal appearance in the Sunshine State Conference Tournament this evening as they traveled to face Rollins. The Sailfish run will continue on to the finals as they prevailed against the Tars in overtime 59-55.  

The Sailfish are playing their best basketball of the season at the right time as they were riding back-to-back wins over Rollins and Florida Tech into the game against the Tars tonight. The 'Fish had stormed back in the fourth quarter on March 13 to defeat Rollins in the previous meeting. The Sailfish were jumped by the Tars early on, as the Sailfish offense was discombobulated throughout the first quarter. They scored just four points in the opening ten minutes going 1-for-11 from the field. Rollins shot it at a 43 percent clip in the opening quarter as the Tars came out of the blocks with a 16-4 lead. 

The Sailfish didn't let the down first-quarter affect them as they battled back in the second. They opened on a 20-3 extended run over nine minutes of the quarter to take a 24-19 lead. Shekinah Guthrie helped lead the charge as she scored eight and pulled down five boards, and England Bennett came off the bench to hit two three-pointers during the run. PBA attacked the basket and were able to get to the line often throughout the quarter as they converted 11-of-16 from the charity stripe. The Sailfish were able to hold Rollins to 1-of-10 shooting, and after a rough first quarter, the Sailfish were able to fully make up the deficit in the second as they led at the half 25-23.

The third quarter was a lower scoring affair for both sides as the 'Fish were just 4-of-14 from the field and scored just nine points. Rollins scored 15 in the period on 6-of-15 shooting to retake a 38-34 lead. The action stayed tight the rest of the way as the Sailfish hit clutch shots down the stretch which helped them come out on top.

The fourth quarter was another defensive struggle for both sides, as a quick 5-0 by the Sailfish with three minutes to go brought them within one point. The Tars answered and PBA looked like they might be in trouble, down six with 1:30 remaining. PBA leading scorer Sia Williams rose to the occasion when her side needed it most. She hit two threes in the final possessions to tie the game with 35 seconds left and a Sailfish forced turnover gave them a chance at the final shot. The Tars were able to defend in the closing seconds as PBA's three-point shot at the buzzer was blocked and they headed to overtime tied 47-47. 

An early Avree Carpenter three and a Maria Benitez-Zayas layup put PBA in control in the extra period. A Jada Garbutt layup put the Sailfish up six with just over a minute left and they were able to ice the game from the line as Alisa Marlow hit two clutch free throws to go up and win by four 59-55. 

The box score of the two sides was very similar as both sides shot 30 percent from the field and 27 percent from three. The slight advantage came at the free-throw line where PBA was 19-of-26 to the Tars 16-24. Once again, Guthrie finished the game with a double-double for the Sailfish, 11 points and 10 boards. Benitez-Zayas crack double figures with 10 points while Sia Williams scored a game-high 13 and hit the two biggest shots of the game.

With the win, the Sailfish advance to the SSC Finals for the first time in program history. They will face off against the Spartans on March 21 in Tampa. The two sides met early in the season where the Sailfish fell 66-57 but the 'Fish will hope their winning momentum will roll on for one more game.