WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Palm Beach Atlantic men's basketball team returned to Rubin Arena to host SSC opponent, Florida Tech, on Saturday afternoon.

PBA played a physical game against the Panthers which threw off a Florida Tech offense that averaged over 80 points per game before today's matchup. The 'Fish came away with a 79-70 win, taking down FT that entered the game as a second-place team in the SSC.

The Sailfish were led by the reigning SSC Defensive Player of the Week, Jalen Cooper. Cooper recorded 18 points with 10 rebounds and three steals. Jakob Hester flirted with a triple-double, tallying 13 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. Trent McNair added 13 points of his own in the first start of his Sailfish career. Will Lee totaled 10 points and three assists. Bryce Laskey added 11 points, and Kolbe Ashe scored nine points off the bench.

The score was neck-and-neck through most of the first half. The game held a frantic pace, forced by a high-pressure Sailfish defense. The physicality of the first half did cause Lee and Laskey to get in early foul trouble. The Sailfish defense persevered and continued to annoy a Florida Tech offense that turned it over 10 times in the period.

With the score tied at 24 with just under eight minutes to go in the half, the Sailfish pulled away. Layups from Cooper, Hester, and McNair put the Sailfish in front. A triple from Lee and a pair of old-fashioned three-point plays from Hester and McNair gave the Sailfish a 14-point lead with a minute to go. PBA led 41-31 at the halftime break.

The Sailfish shot 56 percent in the first half while holding the Panthers to a 41 percent field-goal percentage. PBA converted on five of its nine 3-point attempts in the period.

PBA kept control of the contest through the first 10 minutes of the second half. A 3-pointer from Ryan Claflin made it 70-54 for PBA with seven and a half minutes to play. The Sailfish offense slowed the tempo as PBA tried to run the clock. Florida Tech hit the Sailfish with a full-court press and crashed the offensive boards hard to cut the deficit to six with 1:15 remaining.

The comeback was too little too late for the Panthers as Laskey closed out the game at the free-throw line. The Panthers did not record a field goal for the final two minutes and seconds as the Sailfish secured the 79-70 win.

PBA finished the game with a 52 percent field goal percentage and a 47 percent 3-point percentage. The Sailfish overcame 14 offensive rebounds for the Panthers, and a 35-33 rebounding deficit. PBA made the most of its chances at the charity stripe, shooting 89 percent on 19 attempts, compared to the Panthers hitting just 10 of 18 shots. 

Today's game was one of PBA's best defensive performances of the season. The 'Fish had strong closeouts at the arc, holding the Panthers to a 25 percent 3-point percentage on 24 attempts. PBA forced 16 turnovers for FT and held the visitors to a 43 percent field goal percentage.

The Sailfish try to start a winning streak on Saturday at Embry-Riddle. PBA faces off against the Eagles in Rubin Arena at 4 p.m.