WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Palm Beach Atlantic men's basketball team hosted Palm Beach County rival Lynn on Saturday in Rubin Arena.

The Sailfish (8-1, 3-1 SSC) looked to bounce back after losing a heartbreaker to Barry on Wednesday night. PBA brought the defensive intensity from the opening tip and held Lynn's offense to 37 percent from the field in the game. The Fighting Knights (3-3, 1-2 SSC) made it a single-digit game with seven minutes to play, but the 'Fish held off the visitors to win 88-72.

Joshua Ward led the Sailfish with 24 points, seven assists, six rebounds, and two steals. Jakob Hester had a strong performance, scoring 18 points with eight rebounds. Graham Worland caught fire from deep, making five 3-pointers. Tyler Burton and Alvin Tumblin Jr. scored seven points each. Burton added five rebounds and three assists to his stat line, while Tumblin Jr. grabbed six rebounds. Jose Roberto Tanchyn tied for the team lead with eight rebounds.

PBA had Lynn in the torture chamber to start the game. Lynn mustered 12 points in the first 12 minutes of action while Ward went to work on the offensive end, building a double-digit lead for the 'Fish. Suddenly, the Fighting Knights knocked down shots from beyond the arc, quickly cutting the deficit to one with 6:37 left in the first half. That's when Worland started letting it fly. The redshirt sophomore hit five threes in the first half to rebuild PBA's lead. The 'Fish went into halftime leading 47-38.

 Lynn finished the first half 10-of-32 from the field and 6-of-20 from three. PBA shot 56 percent and converted on 6-of-10 3-point attempts.

PBA continued its pestering defense in the second half, leading to easier buckets on the offensive end. Hester started to get aggressive in the post, making shots around the room to give PBA a 69-54 lead with 8:34 to play.  A pair of made threes from Lynn cut the PBA advantage to single digits. The duo of Ward and Hester responded, conducting the Sailfish offense to help give the 'Fish an 80-62 lead with 3:42 left to go. PBA cruised down the stretch for an 88-72 win.

The Sailfish outshot Lynn 49 percent to 37 percent. PBA led the rebounding battle, 41-36, leading to 18 second-chance points for PBA. The 'Fish scored 17 points off turnovers and got a big contribution from their bench, scoring 43 points.

PBA takes a break for finals week before returning to action on Dec. 17. The Sailfish take on Trinity Baptist in Rubin Arena next Tuesday at noon.