TAMPA, FLA.- The Palm Beach Atlantic women's basketball team concluded their season after a loss to No. 16 Tampa University in the first round of the Sunshine State Conference Tournament. Making their first tournament appearance, the Sailfish (15-14) were the seventh seed going into the game, and the Spartans (27-5) were the second seed.

The 'Fish were in for a physical matchup against Tampa to start the Sunshine State Conference tournament play. The Spartans had won both matchups in the regular season, with the last meeting being a 30-point victory for them on PBA's turf back in early February.

The first quarter started out as a foul fest for each team, and neither team could really pull away after trading baskets and free throws. The 'Fish took their first lead of the game after Karyzma Pierre hit a left corner mid-range jumper right as the shot clock buzzer went off to put the 'Fish up 10-8 with five minutes remaining in the first. Tampa would strike back quick to even the score, but Kash Ayuso gave the Sailfish their second lead of the game after a tough layup through the heavy Spartan defensive pressure. Tampa responded with a 16-6 run to give them a comfortable 26-18 lead going into the second quarter of play.

The second quarter started just as physically as the first, and Mariyah Fletcher was able to get to the free throw line early after a couple offensive boards on her own missed shots. The 'Fish started chipping their way back into the game with their gritty defense and immense pressure on the boards, thanks to Fletcher and Ashleigh Boulin. Ayuso took care of things on the offensive end, getting another tough layup in transition and a couple free throws, which cut the lead to four in favor of the Spartans. To close out the half, Katelynn Hagy turned up the pressure on the defensive end on Tampa's point guard and got a steal that led to a layup by Jillian Schenk. Following shortly after, Ayuso would pull up from the Spartans logo to beat the buzzer at halftime to make the score 33-38 in Tampa's favor.

The Spartans opened up the half with a three-pointer to give them back the eight-point lead that Ayuso stole from them at the end of the first half. Tampa also turned it up on the defensive end, not allowing a single basket for six minutes for the 'Fish and getting to a game-high 14-point lead. PBA would still not go away after a layup from Schenk and a transition three by Ayuso to cut the lead to nine. A few tough layups by Boulin and Fletcher cut the lead to seven going into the final quarter. 

To open up the fourth, the Sailfish dominated the boards but just couldn't convert on most of the opportunities, which allowed Tampa to maintain a comfortable 10-point lead for the majority of the quarter. PBA would not go out without a fight, though, after a steal by Fletcher that led to an Ayuso layup, and shortly after, Ayuso would find Boulin with a no-look dime for a layup to cut the lead down to just five in the remaining minute and a half. Unfortunately, the Spartans were able to get it done at the free throw line and would end up winning the game 71-64.

Your statistical leaders for the game were Ayuso and Fletcher. Ayuso played all 40 minutes and had a game-high 28 points on 9-29 shooting. She also added two blocks, two steals, six boards, and four assists. Fletcher was the second-leading scorer with 18 points on 5-13 shooting. She also managed to grab 15 boards, which was a game-high, and 11 of them were offensive. Schenk and Boulin also contributed with seven points each, and Schenk also grabbed seven boards, which tied her season best.

The 'Fish conclude their season with 15 wins and 14 losses, the highest win total for the program in the Division II era.