ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Palm Beach Atlantic University men's basketball team traveled across the state to face Eckerd in a Sunshine State Conference matchup on Saturday afternoon.
The first half was an evenly matched, defensive matchup, with Eckerd holding a narrow lead at halftime. The switch flipped in the second half, with the Tritons exploding for 60 points in the second half. Eckerd shot over 60 percent in the half, including 53 percent from three, to pull away for a 94-80 win.
Joshua Ward led the Sailfish offense with 20 points.
Graham Worland and
Jose Roberto Tanchyn totaled 16 points each. Worland converted on four 3-pointers with a team-high seven rebounds.
Will Lee scored 11 points off the bench and four rebounds.
Jakob Hester tallied 10 points of his own with a pair of boards.
The Sailfish led through the first 10 minutes of the game, forcing Triton turnovers and chasing the hosts off the 3-point line. Eckerd worked its way back into the game through offensive rebounding and second-chance points. A layup as time expired in the half gave the Tritons a 34-30 lead at halftime.
Eckerd quickly increased its lead to double-digits after a pair of 3-points early in the second half. PBA tried to get momentum back on its side after a layup, and an old-fashioned 3-point play on a dunk by Tanchyn made it a six-point game. Eckerd quickly erased the comeback with two more buckets from beyond the arc. The Tritons stayed hot, leading by as much as 20 with 4:19 to go after a 19-8 run. Worland caught fire late, converting on a trio of 3-pointers to try to get the 'Fish back in the game, but it was too little, too late. Eckerd came away with the 94-80 win.
PBA was outshot in the game, 50 percent to 43 percent. The Sailfish struggled from the free throw line, going 13-for-23. The Tritons won the battle of the boards, 49-31. PBA did a better care of taking care of the ball, finishing with nine turnovers compared to 16 for Eckerd.
The Sailfish are back in action at home on Wednesday. The game at Rubin Arena is set for 7:30 p.m.
