WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Palm Beach Atlantic men's basketball team hosted Lynn in an important SSC matchup that had an impact on the conference standings as the 'Fish hit the final stretch of the season.

The Sailfish entered tonight's contest with a 1.5-game lead over Lynn (10-11, 4-13 SSC) in the league standings. PBA (7-17, 7-11 SSC) shot nearly 60 percent from the field in a crucial 84-77 win over the Fighting Knights. With the win, PBA keeps its spot in seventh place in the SSC, holding a one-game lead over Saint Leo and a 1.5-game lead over Florida Tech. With the loss, Lynn drops to 10th place in the league standings.

Will Lee played all 40 minutes for the Sailfish, leading the team with 18 points, 10 assists, three rebounds, and two steals. Alexander Gorton nearly matched Lee in minutes, earning a double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds. Jules Jasmin totaled 17 points with seven rebounds in 38 minutes played. Jakob Hester tallied 13 points with six rebounds. Nate Ward scored 11 points off the bench. Jalen Cooper scored nine points with six rebounds, one block, and one steal.

After surrendering the first basket of the game to Lynn, the Sailfish led for the rest of the first half. PBA shot 61 percent from the field while holding the Fighting Knights to 41 percent shooting and just 28 points in the half. PBA ended the half on a 7-2 run that included a layup from Cooper, a 3-pointer from Gorton, a dunk from Jasmin, and a layup from Hester. PBA took a 41-28 lead into halftime.

PBA outrebounded the Fighting Knights 21-9 in the first half. The Sailfish sank four of their six 3-point attempts in the period. Hester had 10 of his 13 points in the first half.

Lynn cut PBA's lead down to three less than five minutes into the second half thanks to a couple of made threes and PBA turnovers. The 'Fish responded with a 10-0 run, including 3-pointers from Lee and Ward, and two buckets from Jasmin and Gorton to take a 13-point lead with 13 minutes to go. 

Lynn made another run down the stretch by forcing some Sailfish turnovers and getting to the free-throw line. A 3-pointer and a dunk made it 75-69 PBA with a minute and a half to play. Jayden Iturmendi, Lee, and Gorton took care of business at the free-throw line to clinch the 84-77 win for PBA.

PBA finished the game with a 39-26 advantage on the boards. The Sailfish outscored Lynn in the paint, 48-34. The PBA defense held Lynn to 29 percent from beyond the arc in the game while shooting 47 percent from deep on the offensive end.

The Sailfish take Saturday off before traveling to Florida Tech for another important matchup on Wednesday. The game in Melbourne, Fla. takes place at 7:30 p.m.