PENSACOLA, Fla. - The Palm Beach Atlantic women's basketball team played its second game in as many days at the Sunshine State Conference and Gulf South Conference Crossover. A slow offensive start in the first half was too much to overcome for the Sailfish as they fell 72-64 to drop their record to 1-1 early in the season.
Both sides came out of the gates slow from the field as they were each under 36 percent shooting in the opening quarter of play. The Sailfish had the better of it going 5-of-14 from the floor, led by
Jillian Schenk who had six points in the quarter. The Blazers made up for their poor shooting from the field by getting to the free throw line regularly which would be a common theme throughout the night, as PBA struggled to defend without fouling. The 'Fish trailed 14-12 after the opening ten minutes of play.
Valdosta State found their rhythm in the second quarter as they outscored PBA 22-10 to build a lead.
Mariyah Fletcher had half of the points in the quarter for PBA as she finished the night with 10 points and seven rebounds. The Sailfish trailed 36-22 as they went into the locker room.
Like PBA did last night, they came out in the third quarter strong and got right back into the game. The 'Fish had a balanced attack as all five starters finished in double-figures, led by
Darria Whitley who had 15. The Sailfish outscored the Blazers 22-11 in the third quarter where PBA shot 50 percent from the floor and from three.Â
PBA was able to tie the game early in the fourth quarter as it looked like momentum was on their side. However, the Blazers responded by shooting 7-of-10 from the floor and attempted 15 free throws in the final ten minutes. PBA's second-half comeback came up short as they shot 24-of-65 from the field and 7-of-25 from beyond the arc as they fell by eight.Â
The Sailfish will return home for their first game at Rubin Arena when they host West Alabama next Saturday at 2 p.m. The Tigers have a 1-1 record so far this season. Â
Â
