ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Palm Beach Atlantic men's basketball team traveled for a Saturday matchup against SSC-foe Eckerd.

Although the Sailfish bested the Tritons at home in Rubin Arena the last time the teams met, Eckerd gained revenge over the Sailfish, defeating PBA 85-77. The 'Fish hit an impressive 42 percent of their 3-pointers on 26 attempts, but Eckerd's heckling defense forced PBA into committing 18 turnovers resulting in 19 points off turnovers for the hosts making the difference in the game.

Marcus Montalvo led PBA in scoring off the bench for the second consecutive game. He scored 19 points with five 3-pointers and three assists. Will Lee recorded 17 points with three rebounds and three assists. Alexander Gorton tallied a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds with two assists. Jalen Cooper recorded nine points with five rebounds.

The first half of play was neck-and-neck for the entire 20 minutes. The largest lead never grew more than seven points. PBA knocked down seven of its 14 3-point attempts in the first half; however, Eckerd shot 53 percent from the field and went 5-for-6 from the free-throw line in the period to tie the score at 40 at halftime.

Eckerd picked up the intensity on defense in the second half. PBA had 11 of its turnovers in the second half resulting in some buckets for the Tritons. PBA faced a 13-point deficit with just over two minutes to play, but the 'Fish kept fighting. Seven points from Lee, a bucket from Gorton, and a pair of free throws from Montalvo made it a five-point game down the stretch. Unfortunately for PBA, the comeback fell short with Eckerd winning, 85-77.

 PBA heads down to Miami Shores to face Barry on Wednesday. The game is scheduled for tip-off at 7:30 p.m.