WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Palm Beach Atlantic women's basketball team hosted Eckerd College today in a Sunshine State Conference game at Rubin Arena. The Sailfish looked to break a losing streak to the Tritons that dates back to 2016 and looked in position to do so as they put in one of their better performances of the year. However, PBA's last-second shot at the buzzer was off the mark as they fell 71-70 to drop their record to 9-8 and 3-6 in SSC play.

The Sailfish got off to a strong start today against the Tritons as they jumped out to a 16-7 lead with good effort on both ends of the floor. PBA shot the ball well early in the first quarter and capitalized on four Eckerd turnovers that PBA turned into break-away buckets. Mariyah Fletcher and Ashleigh Boulin were controlled play in the paint despite a size disadvantage as they combined for 11 points and eight rebounds in the first quarter. The Sailfish led 21-13 after one-quarter of play.

An even second quarter saw the Sailfish take a seven-point lead into the half. PBA withstood Eckerd's runs in the third quarter to remain in a strong position to capture the victory as Kash Ayuso and Karyzma Pierre scored eight and six points respectively in the third to keep the 'Fish up by three. 

The return of Claire Davis was a welcome sign for PBA as she came to life in the final quarter, scoring eight points. Down the stretch, the Sailfish hit on just 4-of-16 shots in the final quarter while the Tritons shot 67 percent from the floor. Both sides visited the line frequently in the fourth quarter as the game was set to come down to the last possessions.

After trailing nearly the whole game, Eckerd took a one-point lead with three minutes remaining. a 10-0 run would put them up by as many as five before the Sailfish battled back in the closing minute. A Fletcher jumper and Davis free throw cut the PBA deficit to two. Ayuso buried a tough baseline jumper with 17 seconds remaining to tie it but Eckerd retook the lead by making one of two free throws with four seconds left. After a timeout, head coach Manisha Redus got Ayuso a clean look at a baseline jumper as time expired but the shot wouldn't go as PBA fell by one.

Four Sailfish finished in double-figures, led by Ayuso's 19 points. Davis scored 18 off the bench while Pierre and Fletcher scored 14 and 13 points. Fletcher led the 'Fish on the boards as she finished with ten for another double-double.

Up next, PBA hits the road to take on Tampa in league play. The Spartans are 15-4 overall and 6-2 in SSC play.