TAMPA, Fla. – The Palm Beach Atlantic men's basketball team traveled to face Sunshine State Conference foe Tampa on Saturday.

The shorthanded Sailfish picked up where they left off in Wednesday night's game, operating at a high efficiency on offense and forcing 10 Spartan turnovers in the first half. PBA held a 47-35 lead at halftime, but Tampa caught fire in the second half.  Tampa put up 62 points against PBA's usually stingy defense. The 'Fish led for over half the game but came up short against Tampa, 97-88.

Tyler Burton led the Sailfish offense with 16 points, including four 3-pointers, six boards, and four assists. Jakob Hester tallied 15 points, six rebounds, and three dimes. Joshua Ward scored 14 points and passed out seven assists. Jamaal Walker finished with 12 points. Broderick Ellis scored 11 points off the bench with seven rebounds. Jose Roberto Tanchyn recorded 10 points in his first start as a Sailfish with a team-high eight rebounds.

A slow start forced a PBA timeout after the Spartans took a 10-2 lead in the first two and a half minutes of play. Out of the timeout, the Sailfish settled in, quickly retaking a 16-15 lead. The Sailfish defense forced 10 turnovers and held Tampa to 6-of-17 from three. Ellis came out on fire to start the game, scoring 11 points with five rebounds. Burton hit a pair of 3-pointers at the end of the half to give PBA a 47-35 lead at the break.

The hosts slowly chipped away at the PBA lead in the second half. Back-to-back 3-pointers and a breakaway dunk allowed Tampa to retake the lead, 62-61 with 11:45 remaining. Burton and Worland answered with buckets of their own to put the 'Fish back in front. Tampa seized all the momentum after consecutive 3-pointers, leading 76-73 with seven minutes to play. A 12-2 run from the Spartans made it 88-77 with 3:29 remaining. The Sailfish fought back with a 7-0 run, including a 3-pointer from Worland making it 88-84 with 2:11 to go. Unfortunately, for the 'Fish, the comeback fell short with the Spartans winning 97-88.

After turning it over 10 times in the first half, the Spartans only had three miscues for the rest of the game. The hosts shot 58 percent in the second half, including 55 percent from three. The Spartans did a better job taking advantage of seven PBA turnovers in the second half, turning them into 12 points. 

PBA is back at home on Wednesday against Florida Tech. The game in Rubin Arena is set for 7:30 p.m.