WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Palm Beach Atlantic women's basketball team hosted their final game of the season this afternoon against No. 18 ranked Tampa. The Sailfish stormed back from a first-half deficit and led late in the fourth quarter before falling short 66-61 in the closing moments. 

 It was senior night for the Sailfish, as they honored seniors Alisa Marlow, Shekinah Guthrie, and Maria Benitez-Zayas. The two sides played a low-scoring opening quarter where neither side was able to shoot over 30 percent from the field. PBA was just 4-of-16 from the floor and defensively they sat back in a zone and dared the Spartans to connect from deep which they were unable to do early on. Kash Ayuso came off the bench and quickly hit two three-pointers to lead PBA offensively, but the 'Fish trailed 15-10 after the first. 

 Tampa showed why they are one of the top teams in the country in the second quarter as they outscored the Sailfish 25-12. They shot nearly 60 percent and hit 5-of-8 from deep while PBA was able to hit on just 4-of-13 from the floor. Guthrie scored six points while Benitez-Zayas added four but PBA was down 40-22 at half. 

 A different side came out of the locker room for both teams as PBA outscored the Spartans 22-9 in the third quarter. Guthrie took over the game at times in the second half as she had 11 in the quarter while Benitez-Zayas had seven on 3-of-3 shooting. The Sailfish held the Spartans to just four field goals in the quarter and trimmed the 18 point deficit to five points heading to the fourth. 

 PBA carried the momentum over into the fourth quarter as they received a balanced attack, having six different players score in the final ten minutes of play. The battle back was complete at the 4:31 mark when Chelsea Aalim hit a pair of free throws to give the 'Fish a one-point lead. However, the Spartans hit back with a quick 8-0 run over the next 1:50 of play to regain control. 

 In their final game of the season, the Sailfish still didn't go away and battled back to cut the deficit to one on a Benitez-Zayas jumper with 24 seconds remaining. A Shekinah Guthrie steal gave PBA a chance but her contested fast-break layup attempt wouldn't go. After two Tampa free throws, PBA got a good look from Ayuso in the corner for three but it didn't go as the Spartans escaped 66-61. 

 PBA finished shooting 24-of-65 from the field and 3-of-17 from three. Guthrie led the way with 21 points and 14 rebounds to collect another double-double while adding five steals. Benitez-Zayas finished with 15 points and Ayuso was the third Sailfish player in double-figures with 10 points. 

 The Sailfish finish the year 6-21 and 3-17 in SSC play, good for 10th place in the league.