WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Palm Beach Atlantic women's basketball team took on a Saint Leo University Lions team today at Rubin Arena. The Sailfish got up big but couldn't hang on as they fell to the Lions in overtime 62-58. The Sailfish drop to 9-10 on the season and are now 5-8 in Sunshine State Conference play.

Both defenses were well ahead of the offenses to start out the game today. PBA was able to jump out to an early lead as they shot 4-of-14 from the floor and were led by Mariyah Fletcher's four points and Darria Whitley's three points off the bench. The Sailfish held the Lions to just four points in the opening quarter as PBA held an early 9-4 lead.

Both offenses work up slightly in the second but it was the Sailfish who were able to build on their lead. Kash Ayuso scored eight in the quarter as PBA outscored Saint Leo 17-12 in the second. PBA did struggle with turnovers in the opening half as they committed 14 but they still led 26-16 at the half.

After missing a majority of their shots around the rim in the opening half, the Lions got the offense going in the second half. They shot 50 percent from the floor and scored 20 points in the quarter but PBA was able to answer with 17 points of their own. Ayuso and Clarie Davis did the heavy lifting as they scored eight and seven points respectively in the quarter. PBA looked like they were in control heading to the fourth as they led 43-36.

The Sailfish led by as many as 18 points on the day but it turned into a game they let get away as the Lions came all the way back. They outscored PBA 16-9 in the fourth quarter as the 'Fish shot just 25 percent in the final quarter of regulation. It was PBA who trailed late but they were able to score the final three points of regulation, including a Claire Davis driving layup with 24 seconds left to tie the game. After a stop, Fletcher had a look late with the clock dwindling down but she wasn't able to get a shot off and the game went into overtime. 

The Lions scored the first four points in the five-minute overtime period and gained momentum. Whitley was the only offense for the Sailfish as she hit two threes in the overtime but it wasn't enough as PBA fell by four, 62-58. Ayuso finished with a game-high 16 points but was just 4-of-14 from the floor. Maria Benitez-Zayas was the lone other Sailfish player in double-figures as she finished with ten points, but the PBA point guard committed eight of the team's 27 turnovers on the afternoon. Fletcher continued her rebounding dominance as she finished with 12 on the game but was held to just seven points.

The Sailfish will look to bounce back on Feb. 1 as they travel to Fort Lauderdale to face Nova Southeastern. NSU is 18-2 on the season and 10-2 in SSC play. The Sharks were victorious at Rubin Arena earlier this season, taking down the Sailfish 97-58.