LAKELAND, Fla. - The Palm Beach Atlantic women's basketball team returned to play today on the road against Sunshine State Conference opponent Florida Southern. The Sailfish entered on a three-game winning streak that looked threatened when they trailed by 14 at half, but they continued to battle their way back and earned a 79-63 victory. PBA's record moves to 7-5 overall with the win and 1-3 in SSC play.

The Sailfish, already short-handed, were dealt a blow early on as forward Mariyah Fletcher picked up two early fouls within the first three minutes. Her partner in the paint Ashleigh Boulin was called for three fouls in the quarter as the duo who combine for 21 points and 17 rebounds per game were forced to the bench.

Claire Davis was forced to enter off the bench early, leading PBA with four points. Leading scorer Kash Ayuso started slowly from the floor going 1-for-5 as she shouldered more of the offensive load due to the team's foul troubles. The Moccasins opened shooting 50 percent from the floor while PBA shot 36 percent and just 1-of-6 from three in the first quarter. FSC led 18-13 after ten minutes of play.

A cleanly played, up-and-down second quarter saw the Mocs build on their early lead as they outscored PBA 25-16. Neither side committed a turnover and the sides combined for 39 shots in the quarter alone. Davis led the way again for the 'Fish with five points but on 2-of-6 shooting. PBA was just 6-of-18 from the field as a team while FSC shot over 50 percent from the field again in the quarter as they led 43-29 at the half.

Looking like a new team, PBA stormed out of the halftime break on a run. Head coach Manisha Redus' adjustments at the break led to PBA outscoring the home side 28-13 to take a lead heading to the fourth quarter. Jillian Schenk and Ayuso each knocked down a three in the quarter, as the latter scored 13 points in the third quarter to spark the PBA offense. The 'Fish outscored FSC 14-1 in points off turnovers in the second half and led 57-56 heading to the final quarter.

The Sailfish continued their dominant play in the final quarter as they continued momentum on their way to outscoring the Mocs 22-7. PBA locked down the home side defensively, holding them to 1-of-12 shooting. Davis had seven in the quarter while Boulin added six points as the Sailfish ended up winning easily by 16.

Davis finished with a game-high 22 points and pulled down six rebounds while leading scorer Ayuso had 20 points and eight assists. Despite the early foul trouble, Boulin finished the game with eight points and Fletcher had seven points and a team-high nine rebounds. Schenk continued to be PBA's best threat from beyond the three-point line as she hit on 4-of-8 attempts and finished with 12 points. Karyzma Pierre was forced into a game-high 39 minutes and produced with a strong six point and seven rebound performance, along with her usual strong defensive work. 

The Sailfish return home after the new year and continue SSC play on Jan. 3 when they host Florida Tech at Rubin Arena. The Panthers are 5-9 overall and 0-3 in SSC play so far this season as PBA looks to build on their four-game winning streak.