WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Palm Beach Atlantic women's basketball team returned home to square off with the Nova Southeastern Sharks tonight. After falling in Fort Lauderdale 77-68 earlier in the season, the Sailfish were unable to hold onto their early lead tonight and fell 65-51. The loss takes their record to 5-14 and 2-10 in Sunshine State Conference play.

The Sailfish played their quarter of the night on both ends of the floor in the first. They outscored the Sharks 17-13, hitting on 7-of-18 shots from the floor and holding the Sharks to their lowest scoring output of the night. Five different Sailfish had a basket in the quarter, but it was Jahnae Midegt who was a spark off the bench scoring seven points on a perfect 3-of-3 from the floor. 

The 'Fish held the lead for the majority of the second quarter until the Sharks went on a 7-2 run to close the half and capture a 30-29 lead. PBA connected on just 33 percent of their shots in the quarter and were once again led by Midget who scored four more points in the quarter to finish with 11 in the half. Shekinah Guthrie did her usual good work defensively and on the glass as she had a game-high seven rebounds at the half. 

The two sides looked even throughout the opening half, but the basket began to shrink for the Sailfish as the game went on. Guthrie and Maria Benitez-Zayas combined to score all ten of the points for the 'Fish in the third quarter as they went the final four minutes without a point. The Sharks scored 20 as they hit on 9-of-17 shots to take control of the game and take an eleven-point lead. 

PBA got the Shark's lead down to seven on multiple occasions early in the fourth quarter but were never really able to apply any game pressure to the Sharks who ended up outscoring the Sailfish 15-12 in the final quarter. Sia Williams had six points in the quarter while Benitez-Zayas added four. It was a good sign for the Sailfish to see their floor general point guars Benitez-Zayas play one of her better halves of the season as she scored ten of her 12 points in the second.

PBA finished 21-of-64 from the floor while the Sharks shot 46 percent on the night. Both sides were below 30 percent from three, but the Sailfish struggled from behind the arc making just 1-of-12. PBA led for more of the game than the Sharks, but the second-half run from the Sharks was enough to pull away and capture the 14 point victory.

The Sailfish will remain at home this weekend, playing host to Florida Southern on Jan. 29. The Mocs are 10-8 on the year and defeated the Sailfish 89-67 in their previous matchup this season in Lakeland.