WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Palm Beach Atlantic men's basketball team returned home on Tuesday night to face Clark Atlanta.
Tonight's game was a defensive matchup. PBA shot 40 percent from the field while holding Clark Atlanta to 33 percent from the field in the game. The Sailfish forced 18 turnovers while grinding out a 63-56 win.
PBA had three players reach double-digit scoring.
Jalen Cooper led the way with 14 points and eight rebounds.
Will Lee scored 12 points with four rebounds and two assists.
Trent McNair scored 10 points with three rebounds and two steals.
Although the Sailfish led for 38 minutes of the game, PBA had to grind it out near the end of the matchup. The 'Fish seemed ready to close it out after a made free throw by
Marcus Montalvo made it a 13-point lead. The Panthers didn't go down easy, forcing turnovers on the defensive end to cut the PBA lead to five. Fortunately for the 'Fish, they took care of business at the free throw line down the stretch to win the game, 63-56.
PBA shot its best in the first half. The Sailfish shot 50 percent from the field, including 11 points from Cooper. The Panthers did force PBA into coughing up the ball nine times, but the 'Fish matched them by forcing nine turnovers on the other end. A made layup by
Aleksa Rakic at the buzzer gave PBA a 31-20 win at the break.
The Sailfish struggled to get their shot to fall in the second half, shooting 33 percent in the second half. PBA did clean it up in terms of taking care of the ball while continuing to heckle the Panthers on defense, forcing nine more turnovers.
The rebound battle was neck-and-neck in this one. The Sailfish made the difference on the defensive end. They chased the Panthers off the three-point line, holding them to 26 percent from deep in the game.
PBA takes a break for Thanksgiving before resuming its SSC schedule against Rollins on Nov. 30. The game in the friendly confines of Rubin Arena takes place at 7:30 p.m.
