WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.- The Palm Beach Atlantic women's basketball team put up a fierce fight on senior day at Rubin Arena but fell just short against Eckerd College, 62-58. The 'Fish defense was relentless, forcing 26 turnovers and swatting away 10 shots.

Anabel Ellison led the charge with 15 points, six assists, and five steals. Anaya Smith was a force with 19 points, eight blocks, and seven rebounds. KB Hadley chipped in with four steals and nine points.

The Sailfish came out strong, jumping to an early 2-0 lead with Ellison's jumper. PBA kept the pressure on with a highlight-reel play when Smith drained a 3-pointer at 7:30, courtesy of an assist from Hadley, putting the 'Fish ahead 7-5. Their defense turned up the heat, forcing turnovers and converting fast breaks, including a clutch layup by Maren McCallister at 3:21 to stretch the lead to 14-10. Though Eckerd tied it up at 16 late in the first, the 'Fish responded with a layup from Smith, assisted by Ellison, ending the quarter on top, 18-16.

Midway through the second quarter, the 'Fish grabbed momentum with a critical scoring run. Smith nailed a 3-pointer at 4:25 to even things at 25. McCallister followed with a layup and sank her free throws with 1:15 left, pushing the lead to 33-28. Ellison's late layup gave PBA a 35-31 cushion at halftime.

Ellison kicked off the third quarter with a steal and a fast-break jumper, extending the 'Fish lead. Smith added more with a layup, thanks to Hadley's assist, making it 39-31. Eckerd, however, answered back with a trio of 3-pointers, including a dagger from Jaylen Ostenson, to close the gap. Despite the Sailfish's efforts to hold their ground, late free throws and a 3-pointer from Sarah Racaud saw Eckerd take the lead, closing the quarter with PBA trailing 46-42.

The Sailfish surged in the fourth, as Hadley snagged a steal and converted a layup at 9:28, followed by free throws to tie it at 46. Darria Whitley's three-pointer at 7:33 cut Eckerd's lead to two. Ellison's fastbreak layup at 7:03 edged the 'Fish ahead 52-51. In the final stretch, PBA fought to keep their edge. Hadley hit another layup with just 9 seconds to go, bringing it to 58-57. But Eckerd's Ieva Korzane sealed the game at the charity stripe. The game wrapped up with a 62-58 loss for the Sailfish.

The Sailfish have a break this upcoming Wednesday and return to the floor next Saturday at 2 p.m. when they head to Rollins.