DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Palm Beach Atlantic men's basketball team began play at the ERAU Bahama House Classic on Saturday with a game against Shaw.

The Sailfish (8-2, 2-1 SSC) had the offense cooking with gas, scoring the third-most points in the program's DII era. Shaw (4-4, 1-1 CIAA) hung with PBA through the first half, but the Sailfish stepped up on the defensive end in the second half, allowing them to pull away. The 'Fish earned a neutral site victory, 105-87.

Marcus Montalvo and Jamaal Walker led PBA in scoring with 19 points each. Walker scored 13 of his points in the first half while Montalvo caught fire in the second half with 14 points. PBA had six players finish with double digits. Trent McNair tallied 13 points on 5-for-6 from the field. Will Lee and Micah Jones tallied 12 points each. Lee knocked down four 3-pointers with three assists. Grant Ledford notched a double-double with 10 points and a team-high 12 rebounds. Ryan Claflin added nine points and five rebounds off the bench. Dan Braster finished with eight points. 

The Sailfish were scorching hot from the field for the entirety of the game. The Sailfish shot 59 percent from the field and 3-point range in the game. PBA converted on 10-of-17 3-point attempts with Montalvo and Lee combined for seven triples.

Although the Sailfish led for most of the first period, Shaw's offense kept up with PBA, shooting 55 percent from the field in the half. A pair of free throws trimmed the PBA lead to two with 6:46 remaining. The duo of Jones and Walker helped the 'Fish rebuild their lead, combining for 14 points in the last six minutes of the half to give PBA a 54-44 lead at the break.

 Montalvo and Ledford increased PBA's lead midway through the second half. The duo scored 12 straight points, helping the 'Fish increase their lead to 22 with six minutes left to play. Claflin fully swung the momentum with the Sailfish side with a powerful dunk in transition. The Sailfish defense slowed down the Bears' offense in the second half, holding them to 44 percent from the field and forcing eight turnovers in the period. The Sailfish cruised to a 105-87 win.

The Sailfish finish their weekend in Daytona Beach on Sunday against Columbus State. The game against the Cougars tips off at 2 p.m.