ATLANTA, Ga. – The Palm Beach Atlantic men's basketball team began its 2023-24 campaign on Saturday evening with a game against Morehouse (0-1) as a part of the South Region Crossover.
The Sailfish (1-0) squared off against Morehouse for just the third time in PBA's DII era. After a tight first half, the Tigers pulled away in the second half. PBA trailed by 16 points with nine minutes left in the game. Some defensive intensity allowed the 'Fish to string together some stops and force turnovers.
The duo of
Dan Braster and
Trent McNair carried the offense for PBA in crunch time. A layup and a free throw from Braster made it a 3-point game with 47 seconds left. After a pair of Morehouse free throws, McNair hit a 3-pointer with 19 seconds left to cut the Tiger lead to two. The hosts missed both free throws to give PBA a chance. McNair went to the free-throw line with two seconds left. The sophomore made both free throws to force overtime with the game tied at 72. The Sailfish only have up five points in overtime, pulling away to an 86-76 win to start the season.
Braster led PBA with 22 points and eight rebounds. The newcomer scored 18 points in either the second half or overtime. McNair scored 21 points of his own with three rebounds, three 3-pointers, and two steals.
Ryan Claflin notched 10 points with five rebounds and two steals.
Will Lee tallied nine points with four rebounds, three steals, and three assists.
Marcus Montalvo totaled eight points and six boards of his own.
The Sailfish struggled to shoot the ball in the first half. The Tigers shot 44 percent from the field compared to 36 percent for PBA. The 'Fish went 3-for-14 from 3-point range in the half while Morehouse converted on three of its seven 3-point attempts. The Tigers went into halftime with a 35-33 lead.
PBA claimed a 40-38 lead early in the second half after a layup from
Grant Ledford. Unfortunately for the 'Fish, turnovers allowed Morehouse to pull away. A 12-0 run from the Tigers included five PBA turnovers allowing Morehouse to gain a 50-40 advantage. The Tigers extended their lead to 61-45 with nine minutes to go by getting into the paint and to the free throw line consistently.
The Sailfish kept battling as Braster and McNair went to work on the offensive end as the half wound down. The Tigers turned the ball over six times in the final six minutes, allowing PBA back into the game. The Sailfish held the hosts to 31 percent shooting from the field in the second half.
After McNair's free throws forced overtime, Braster and Claflin helped PBA gain a lead in overtime. Braster scored the first points of the period, followed by a layup by Claflin and two free throws from Braster that made it 78-75. A jumper from Montalvo, another layup from Claflin, and a layup from McNair made it 84-75 with 52 seconds to go. The 'Fish never looked back, winning 86-76. The Tigers went 1-for-6 from the field in overtime.
Morehouse came on top of the rebounding battle, 43-37. The Sailfish forced Morehouse into 20 turnovers, resulting in 26 points off MC miscues. The game finished PBA shooting 43 percent from the field, while Morehouse shot 35 percent in the game.
The Sailfish conclude their time in Atlanta tomorrow with a game against West Georgia. The match at Morehouse takes place at 4 p.m.
