LAKELAND, Fla. – The undefeated Palm Beach Atlantic men's basketball team traveled to face a ranked Florida Southern team on Saturday night.

On the heels of a nine-point comeback by PBA, the game was tied at 77 with 30 seconds to go. The Mocs missed a pair of free throws that would have given the hosts the lead. PBA ran the clock nearly all the way down, going for the win. PBA's first look didn't go, but in a scrum for the ball, Jamaal Walker came up with it and made a putback layup as time expired to win the game for the Sailfish 79-77.

Florida Southern entered the game ranked No. 8 in the country in the D2 College Sports Communicators national poll. The Mocs are also ranked No. 12 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches' top 25. PBA was receiving votes in the NABC top 25. Tonight's win is PBA's first ranked win since defeating a ranked Embry-Riddle team on Jan. 14, 2023. It is the biggest upset since the Sailfish defeated top 10-ranked Nova Southeastern in 2020.

Joshua Ward led PBA with 16 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Walker finishes with 15 points, including the game-winner, five rebounds, and two steals. Alvin Tumblin Jr. scored 12 points with six rebounds.  Jakob Hester added 12 points off the bench with four rebounds. Broderick Ellis added 10 points and five rebounds. Will Lee tallied nine points, all in the second half with three assists. Jose Roberto Tanchyn led the team in rebounds with eight.

The Sailfish showcased some stingy defense in the first half, frustrating a potent Mocs offense. Florida Southern shot 33 percent from the field in the first half, including 1-for-11 from three. Unfortunately for PBA, the Mocs came out aggressive on defense, forcing several PBA turnovers. Struggles with taking care of the ball kept the Sailfish from taking a larger lead in the first half. Despite 14 first-half turnovers turning in 14 FSC points, the Sailfish went into halftime, leading 35-34. Tumblin Jr. led the 'Fish offense with 10 first-half points. PBA dominated the battle of the boards in the period, leading to 10 second-chance points.

PBA flipped the script in the second half. The Sailfish got several Mocs players in foul trouble, forcing FSC to dial down its defensive intensity, leading to fewer turnovers. The Sailfish offense had a slow start to the half, but PBA continued to hang around. The hosts started to get hot from 3-point range, building a nine-point lead with just over five minutes to go.

Walker answered the Mocs triple with an old-fashioned three-point play. A PBA stop on defense led to a 3-pointer from Ward to make it a one-possession game with 4:39 to play. Ward turned around and earned a steal on defense, leading to a fast-break layup for Will Lee to make it a one-point deficit. Another Sailfish steal led to another driving layup for Lee, giving PBA a 68-67 lead with 4:09 to play. The PBA point guard wasn't done, hitting a 3-pointer to cap off a 13-0 run for the Sailfish.

Jose Roberto Tanchyn converted on a layup and a free throw to hold PBA's lead at four. The Mocs answered with a 3-pointer to keep the game from getting out of hand. Two free throws from Lee made it 77-73 PBA with 1:38 remaining. Unfortunately for the 'Fish, two consecutive FSC layups tied the game at 77 with 50 seconds left. A PBA 3-point attempt missed and the Mocs drew a foul to go to the charity stripe with a chance to retake the lead with 30 seconds left. The hosts missed a pair of free throws rebounded by Hester. PBA ran the clock nearly all the way down, going for the win. Ward's pullup jumper was off the mark, but Walker and Hester's efforts on the boards allowed the ball to wind up in Walker's hands setting up the putback at the buzzer. The Sailfish shocked the Mocs, 79-77.

The Sailfish outshot the Mocs 44 percent to 40 percent. The 'Fish defense held FSC to 25 percent from beyond the arc. PBA won the rebounding battle 45-38. FSC finished with 15 turnovers, leading to 12 points for the Sailfish. After their struggles in the first half, PBA finished with four turnovers in the second half.

The Sailfish look to keep their undefeated start alive after the Thanksgiving holiday. PBA travels to Florida Tech's tournament to face North Greenville on Friday at 7 p.m.