WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.- Palm Beach Atlantic defeated Fort Lauderdale 119-26 on Monday in the opener for both teams, starting the game with a 20-0 run and leading 43-2 after the first quarter. The Sailfish turned 36 Fort Lauderdale turnovers into 50 points and finished with 36 assists on 51 field goals. The Sailfish set a new program scoring record with 119 points. The previous record was 108 points.
Ella Lune finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 11 of 14 from the field.
Breeje Schuler scored 14 points on six-of-seven shooting and added five steals with four assists.
Sameera Elmasri tallied 15 points, including three 3-pointers, and recorded four assists.
Colie Thompson posted seven assists and two steals.
The Sailfish controlled the first quarter with a 20-0 opening run, then answered Fort Lauderdale's lone basket by scoring the final 23 points of the quarter. The 'Fish forced 16 turnovers, committed none and turned those chances into 26 points off turnovers. The quarter ended with the Sailfish ahead 43-2.
The 'Fish broke open the second quarter by outscoring Fort Lauderdale 27-6, shooting 10-for-17 with eight assists and committing one turnover. Lune carried the late offense, scoring 15 points in the final four minutes, five seconds and assisting on
Chloe Galombeck's fast-break layup in the closing seconds. The Sailfish entered halftime ahead 70-8.
The Sailfish outscored Fort Lauderdale 22-6 in the third quarter, scoring nine points off turnovers as Fort Lauderdale committed nine giveaways. Schuler assisted three of the 'Fish's first five baskets and made two early steals, helping the lead reach 81-8. The Sailfish later held Fort Lauderdale scoreless from six minutes, two seconds remaining to one minute, 46 seconds remaining, and
Ava Lord's 3-pointer and a late
Maren McCallister layup helped close the quarter with a 92-14 advantage.
The 'Fish went 12-for-21 in the fourth quarter with 10 assists and no turnovers, outscoring Fort Lauderdale 27-12 in the segment. The stretch included three 3-pointers from six minutes, 30 seconds remaining to four minutes, three seconds remaining, with
Maddie Wallhoff hitting one and Elmasri adding two as the score moved from 98-17 to 109-22. The Sailfish closed out a 119-26 win.
