ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Palm Beach Atlantic men's basketball team concluded the regular season on Saturday at Eckerd.

The Sailfish led by as much as 18 in the game thanks to some stout defense that forced Eckerd to shoot under 40 percent in the contest. Some turnovers by PBA allowed the Tritons to cut the game back down to single digits, but the 'Fish held on to win 79-72.

Grant Ledford led PBA with 24 points and eight rebounds. Will Lee poured in 13 points, including four 3-pointers and four rebounds. Trent McNair scored 11 points with four assists and three rebounds. Jamaal Walker and Marcus Montalvo finished with 10 points each. Montalvo had eight assists and seven rebounds to his stat line. Walker added five rebounds and three steals.

Ledford carried the PBA offense in the first half with 16 points on nine attempts. The Sailfish defense was superb in the period, holding Eckerd to 36 percent shooting and forcing eight turnovers. A 3-pointer from Lee and a pair of buckets from Ledford down the stretch gave PBA a 32-26 lead at halftime.

Lee caught the hot hand for the Sailfish in the second half. The New York native totaled 18 points, including three 3-pointers in the half. He helped the Sailfish build a 59-41 lead with 9:17 to play in the game. A four-minute scoring drought helped Eckerd get back into the game. The Tritons did not go away quietly with a full-court defense making things difficult for PBA, but the Sailfish held off EC 79-72.

PBA outshot Eckerd 45 percent to 39 percent. The Sailfish shot 38 percent from 3-point range on 24 attempts. PBA did a good job getting to the free throw line, converting on 20-of-25 shots. PBA finished the game with 16 points off 12 Eckerd turnovers. The Tritons won the rebounding battle, 40-35, helping them gain an advantage in second-chance points.

The Sailfish begin the postseason next week. PBA earned the fifth seed in the Sunshine State Conference tournament. The 'Fish matchup against Lynn on Tuesday. The game in Boca Raton tips off at 7 p.m.

PBA finished the regular season at 17-11, its best overall record in the regular season since 2019-20 when it finished 20-9 and made the NCAA tournament. The season is the best mark yet for Sailfish head coach Cole Rose.