MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- Barry University men's basketball team overcame a six-point halftime deficit to beat Palm Beach Atlantic, 78-69, Wednesday in front of 707 in the Health & Sports Center.
The Buccaneers (10-1) outscored the Sailfish (5-10) outscored PBA, 43-28, in the second half. Barry connected on 16 of 21 free throws in the second half after shooting a paltry 5 of 14 in the opening half.
In a game with nine lead changes and 11 ties, the Buccaneers limited the Sailfish to nine second-half field goals. PBA and Barry both shot 5 of 20 from three-point range, and both teams shot in the 60s from the free throw line.
Barry's Yunio Barrueta recorded his fourth double-double of the season, scoring 16 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. He was 6 of 14 from the floor. Deric Hill had 18 points, six assists and two steals.
Palm Beach Atlantic shot 55.6 percent in the first half to take a 41-35 lead. But the Bucs outrebounded the Sailfish, 31-23, accounting for a 17-9 edge in second chance points, in the second half.
After Clayton Williams scored with 11:25 to play to knot the game at 50-50, Barry went on a 9-3 run over the next 2:11, capped off by Barrueta's dunk off a steal by Savad Garner. PBA cut it to four on four more occasions -- the latter with 2:18 to play when Williams sank a pair of free throws -- but the Bucs made six straight free throws to help salt the game away.
Palm Beach Atlantic's bench outscored Barry, 17-10. Evin Graham had 13 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, and Garet Tucker 12 points and six boards for the Sailfish.
Juan Ferrales had 17 points, and Garner 10 points and nine rebounds for the Buccaneers. Magne Fivelstad had seven points, nine boards, five assists, five steals and a block.
Barry hosts Saint Leo in a key Sunshine State Conference game at 2 p.m. Saturday.