WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Palm Beach Atlantic men's basketball team got revenge against SSC opponent Florida Southern in Rubin Arena on Wednesday night.

The Sailfish (9-9, 5-7 SSC) scored 94 points, the most they have scored against an NCAA DII team all season. That number was enough to withstand the barrage of 3-pointers from Florida Southern (13-6, 7-5 SSC). The last five Mocs' field goals came from beyond the arc, but free throws down the stretch from Jalen Cooper, Will Lee, Trent McNair, and Bryce Laskey iced the 94-91 win for PBA.

Cooper led PBA with a season-highs in points (26) and rebounds (14), including 11 made free throws. Lee totaled 20 points with five assists. Jakob Hester tallied 18 points with eight rebounds and four assists. Ryan Claflin added seven points and a team-high three blocks. Aleksa Rakic scored nine points off the bench. McNair finished with seven points, six rebounds, two blocks, and a steal.

The game had a high pace from the start with Florida Southern looking to do damage from 3-point range. The Mocs led for most of the first half until back-to-back jumpers from Claflin and Broderick Ellis put PBA ahead, 34-32. The lead was short-lived after two turnovers at the end of the half led to some easy buckets for the Mocs. FSC led 41-38 at the halftime break.

FSC gained a 9-0 advantage in the first half on Sailfish turnovers. The Mocs' defense forced seven in the period, but the Sailfish made up for it on the offensive boards. The 'Fish scored 13 second-chance points compared to three for the Mocs. Cooper scored 14 points with seven rebounds in the period.

The Sailfish quickly took the lead in the second half when solid defense turned into two layups from Lee and a 3-pointer from Hester. With the score tied again at 47 at the 16-minute mark, A 3-pointer from Claflin, a free throw from Lee, and a bucket from Rakic made it 53-47 with 14 minutes to play.

Another 3-pointer from Hester later in the half, made it 60-51 Sailfish with 11:19 to play. A second-chance layup from Hester made it a double-digit lead with 8:30 left in the game. 

It seemed like the Sailfish would have a comfortable ending after a layup from McNair made it 81-70 with just under two minutes to go. However, Florida Southern refused to quit. Beginning at the 1:13 mark, FSC scored four straight points after a Sailfish turnover to make it 82-76. PBA made one free throw to make it 83-76, but the Mocs sunk a 3-pointer to make it 83-79.

FSC nearly made it a one-point game after a steal, but its 3-point attempt was off the mark. Four straight free throws from Cooper made it 87-79 with 27 seconds to play. The Mocs hit three more triples while fouling the Sailfish, cutting PBA's lead down to two with one second to go. Cooper sunk one last free throw and the Mocs ran out of time, leading to the 94-91 win for PBA.

The Sailfish outrebounded FSC 46-38 with 19 second-chance points. PBA forced seven FSC turnovers in the second half, totaling 16 points off turnovers. The 'Fish outshot the Mocs 48 percent to 42 percent in the game.

Tonight's win is PBA's first over Florida Southern since Feb. 2021. The Sailfish now have a 9-2 record at Rubin Arena. Entering tonight's game, the Mocs were receiving votes in the NABC top-25.

PBA tried to make it two wins in a row on Saturday when it faces Saint Leo. The game at Rubin Arena tips off a 4 p.m.