VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Palm Beach Atlantic men's basketball team made the journey to Valdosta State for a nonconference affair on Thursday night.
The Sailfish faced an 18-point deficit at halftime but refused to roll over against the Blazers. PBA (4-5, 1-3 SSC) crawled its way back into the game before a clutch jumper from
Kolbe Ashe made it a two-point game with 20 seconds remaining. The Sailfish fouled to send VSU (8-5, 4-3 GSC) to the line. One make made it a three-point game. The Blazers missed the second, but a foul on the rebound against PBA gave the hosts another chance to close it out.
Two made free throws from VSU made it an 86-81 advantage for the Blazers.
Will Lee cut it back to three points, but the 'Fish failed to pick up a steal on defense. The Blazers closed out the 88-83 win at the free-throw line.
Jalen Cooper led the Sailfish with 19 points and eight rebounds. Lee finished with 14 points with three 3-pointers.
Bryce Laskey added 13 points with two triples.
Marcus Montalvo tallied 11 points with eight rebounds and three assists.
Ryan Claflin finished with 10 points.
The Blazers built its lead in the first half by getting 21 of their points in transition. VSU held PBA to 40 percent from the field in the period, allowing the hosts to create a 20-13 rebound advantage. PBA was not awarded a free throw in the opening period. The Blazers shot 55 percent, leading to a 48-30 lead at the break.
PBA controlled the boards and took better care of the ball in the second half. The offensive efficiency increased with the Sailfish shooting 50 percent in the second half. The 'Fish did a better job drawing contact, shooting 22 free throws, and converting on 20. Meanwhile, VSU went cold from 3-point range and from the free-throw line.
Facing a 15-point deficit with three and a half minutes left, the Sailfish kept fighting. PBA made its comeback at the charity stripe, starting with two free throws by Cooper. A jumper from
Trent McNair followed by two technical free throws from Lee and three free throws from Montalvo making it a seven-point game with over two minutes to go.
The teams traded buckets before Laskey was fouled on a 3-pointer, leading to three more free points for the 'Fish to make it 83-79. A turnover led to Ashe's jumper that cut it to two points. Unfortunately, the Sailfish could not complete the comeback, falling 88-83.
PBA returns home for another nonconference game against Walsh on Sunday. The game at Rubin Arena starts at 2 p.m.
