WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Palm Beach Atlantic men's basketball team hosted SSC foe Florida Tech on Wednesday night on Valentine's Day.

The Sailfish and the Panthers needed overtime to settle tonight's matchup. The game was intense and physical throughout with both teams combining for 26 only fouls in the game. The Panthers hit some clutch shots to take the lead down the stretch, pulling away from the Sailfish to win 74-70.

Jamaal Walker led the Sailfish with 17 points and six rebounds. Will Lee finished with 15 points with six steals, four rebounds, and three 3-pointers. Grant Ledford recorded 14 points and 10 rebounds with seven assists. Marcus Montalvo added 11 points, including three clutch free throws at the end of regulation to force overtime. Trent McNair scored nine points with two steals and two rebounds.

After taking a quick lead in the first half, PBA suffered a six-minute scoring drought that allowed the Panthers to build a double-digit lead before halftime. A pair of buckets from McNair cut into the deficit, but FT led 32-25 at halftime.

The Sailfish offense only shot 34 percent in the first half but stayed in the game by forcing seven Panther turnovers.

Walker and Lee got the Sailfish going coming out of the break. Seven straight points, including a 3-pointer and layup from Lee, tied the game at 32 two minutes into the second half. Turnovers allowed the Panthers to get back in front. The Sailfish returned the favor with a steal and breakaway layup by Montalvo, giving PBA a 57-56 lead with 3:18 to go. 

FT went back in front after a pair of 3-pointers to go ahead by five. A free throw by Ledford made it a four-point game with 38 seconds to go. The Sailfish forced a turnover, and McNair was fouled on a 3-point attempt to go to the free throw line. The sophomore made two of them to keep PBA in the game. Florida Tech knocked down one free throw but missed the second, keeping the Sailfish alive, down three. FT attempted to foul to stop a PBA fast break, but a quick-thinking Montalvo forced a 3-point attempt up while being fouled to go to the line with a chance to tie. He knocked down all three free throws to tie the game at 63 with 10 seconds to go. The 'Fish got one stop to force overtime.

Buckets from Walker and Ledford gave PBA an early lead in overtime, but the Sailfish missed five straight field-goal attempts, and Florida Tech took advantage. Some clutch buckets by the Panthers sealed the 74-70 win for the visitors.

FT outshot the 'Fish 47 percent to 41 percent in the game. Both teams struggled from 3-point range, combining to go 10-for-39 in the game. The teams combined to shoot 24 free throws in the game. The Sailfish finished 7-for-10 while the Panthers shot 11-for-14. PBA forced FT into 17 turnovers, leading to 20 points. The Panthers won the battle of the boards 40-36. 

PBA faces a tough test on Saturday against nationally-ranked, Nova Southeastern. Tip-off at Rubin Arena is set for 4:00 p.m.