PBA Men’s Basketball Turns in Dominant Win over Lynn

The Palm Beach Atlantic men’s basketball team hosted Lynn in the battle of Palm Beach County on Wednesday night.

The Sailfish (13-11, 9-9 SSC) looked to avenge the loss suffered at Lynn (4-19, 2-16 SSC) earlier this season in Boca. PBA came out of the gates firing on all cylinders, jumping out to a 48-26 lead at halftime. The Sailfish cruised in the second half, leading to a dominant 80-56 win.

The duo of Jalen Cooper and Will Lee took care of business for the ‘Fish on the offensive end. Cooper led the charge with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Lee finished with 21 points, seven assists, and two rebounds.

Trent McNair scored 13 points with five rebounds and five assists. Aleksa Rakic totaled 10 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks.

Bryce Laskey returned to the Sailfish rotation, scoring seven points off the bench.

The Sailfish started the game by ramping up the defensive intensity. After a made 3-pointer early by McNair, the ‘Fish jumped right into a full-court press on defense. PBA was aggressive on the defensive end, successfully double-teaming Lynn’s leading scorer Nordin Kapic in the post.

Stout defense from PBA led to some easy buckets on the offensive end. The Sailfish erupted for a 27-7 run that left the Fighting Knights reeling, putting PBA ahead 37-14 at the 6:29 mark in the first half.

Cooper and McNair reached double-digit scoring in the first period, and the ‘Fish shot 56 percent from the fi eld as a team. The PBA defense forced eight Lynn turnovers and held the visitors to 35 percent shooting in the opening half.

Lynn made a small run to open the second half, holding PBA scoreless through the first five minutes of the period. A 3-pointer from Lee snapped the hosts out of the offensive funk, and the ‘Fish were rolling again.

PBA led by as many as 27 points at several points in the second half. The Sailfish kept up the defensive pressure, holding Lynn to 24 percent from the field in the second half. Lynn finished the game with a 28 percent field goal percentage. The ‘Fish earned their most dominant conference win of the season, 80-56.

PBA had an effi cient night from the fl oor, shooting 45 percent from the fi eld and 40 percent from 3-point range on 22 attempts. The Sailfish won the battle of the boards, 50-41, leading to a six-point advantage in second-chance points. The hosts did a ton of damage down low, scoring 46 points in the paint compared to 26 for Lynn.

The Sailfish play their final home game of the regular season on Saturday against Barry. The game at Rubin Arena takes place at 4:00 p.m.