WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Palm Beach Atlantic men's basketball team fell short on its senior night and last regular season game of 2025. The Florida Southern Mocs defeated the 'Fish, 77-74, after a last-second comeback.
After being down in the first half, PBA's 16-0 run in the second half was supposed to pave the way for a huge comeback by the 'Fish against the No. 2 team in the Sunshine State Conference. Instead, the Mocs' last-second basket with one second left gave them the victory. PBA had one last heave from halfcourt for the tie, but it was off the mark.
Jamaal Walker led the Sailfish on his senior night with 21 points and a team-high six rebounds. Joshua Ward finished the game with 17 points. Ward and Broderick Ellis had a team-high of four assists each in the game. Will Lee finished his senior night with 13 points, 11 of them coming in the second half.
It was a tightly contested game from the start, with both teams keeping up with one another. The Mocs had an early lead in the game and were up 18-12 with 12 minutes left to play after they had been successful from outside the arc. PBA came closer after baskets from Walker and Ward but was still down 20-17. With 9:15 left, Tyler Burton scored a layup and followed up with another basket, giving PBA the lead for the first time in the game, 21-20. Florida Southern quickly responded with an 11-2 run after a couple of successful 3-point attempts. PBA was able to close the gap once again thanks to Walker's 10 points in the last six minutes of the half. The Sailfish were down 39-36 at the halftime break.
The game continued to be tight at the beginning of the second period. With 17:07 left, PBA tied the game, 45-45, after a 3-pointer and a jumper by Lee. The Mocs responded once again and extended their lead to 53-45, forcing PBA to take a timeout with 15:39 left. After the timeout, Ward started to showcase his class in the game. He quickly scored seven consecutive points before Burton followed up with a triple, giving PBA the lead, 55-53. The Sailfish were able to keep their lead for the rest of the half thanks to Ward's 13 points in the period and a pair of 3-pointers by Lee. PBA was up 74-69 with 1:06 left before the Florida Southern responded with an 8-0 run in the last minute of the game. The 'Fish still had the lead, 74-73, with only seconds left to play in the game. The Mocs took a timeout with two seconds left to prepare for their last play. FSC scored on a botched lob from the sideline bouncing off the backboard into the hands of a crashing FSC player, leading to a layup with a second left to steal the victory from the Sailfish, who ended up being defeated 77-74.
The Sailfish finished the game 6-for-17, 35 percent, from outside the arc compared to the Florida Southern's 37 percent on 7-of-9 attempts. The 'Fish were successful by forcing points off turnovers, scoring 12, and from their bench points, scoring 15. The Mocs had a better game from the free throw line, scoring 74 percent of their 27 attempts. The Sailfish made 10 of their 16 attempts.
The Sailfish men's basketball team travels to Boca Raton on Wednesday for their quarterfinal game in the Sunshine State championship. Tip-off against the Lynn Fighting Knights is set for 7 p.m.
