WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Palm Beach Atlantic men's basketball team hosted Florida Southern on Saturday afternoon.
PBA (5-14, 5-8 SSC) sought revenge against the Mocs for winning the first matchup of the season in Lakeland, Fla. The Sailfish fought until the end but failed to withstand the barrage of threes from Florida Southern. FSC (9-12, 6-7 SSC) hit 15 of 30 attempts from deep on its way to an 85-73 with over the Sailfish.
Will Lee put up a team-high 20 points with five assists, three rebounds, and two steals.
Alexander Gorton added 16 points with two rebounds, shooting 6-for-9 from the foul line.
Jakob Hester put up an efficient 14 points with four rebounds and a block.
Jules Jasmin tallied nine points with five rebounds.
PBA recorded just two fewer field goals than FSC and converted on more free throws than the Mocs, but the visitors recorded 10 more 3-pointers than the 'Fish which made the difference in the game.
After a slow start on offense for the 'Fish, PBA cut the deficit it faced to six after a Gorton 3-pointer with 10 minutes left in the game. Unfortunately, FSC had the hot hand from 3-point range for the majority of the half. The Mocs led 47-30 at halftime.
The Sailfish stepped up their defense in the second half, holding the Mocs to 38 percent from the field and 3-for-10 from 3-point range in the period. After trailing by as much as 21, PBA cut the deficit to 13 after a pair of layups each from Hester and Lee with 10 minutes left to play. FSC began to hold the ball and eat up the clock in the final 10 minutes. PBA forced some action with a full-court defense, but it wasn't enough to spark a comeback. The Mocs were held without a field goal during the final four minutes of play but converted at the free-throw line to win 85-73.
PBA excelled at taking care of the ball with just eight turnovers. PBA scored 42 points in the paint compared to just 14 for the Mocs. FSC did edge out the Sailfish in the rebounding battle, 41-31.
PBA plays at home against Saint Leo on Wednesday. The game at Rubin Arena starts at 7:30 pm.
