MEN'S BASKETBALL FALLS SHORT AT #1 BENTLEY, 71-66

WALTHAM, MA - The Setters had four players score in double figures led by senior guard Ryan Williams' (Centreville, VA/Paul VI) (Centreville, VA/Paul VI) game-high 25 points, but it wasn't enough as the Pace University men's basketball team fell just short at upsetting the number one nationally ranked Falcons of Bentley College. Pace falls to 8-9 overall and 7-5 in the NE-10, while Bentley remains unblemished with a 17-0 overall record and 12-0 in conference play.

Williams finished the game shooting 8-for-17 from the field, including 5-for-9 from beyond the arc and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Classmate Gibraltar White (Gautier, MS/Gautier) (Gautier, MS/Gautier) added 14 points and five rebounds, while senior Desmond Quincy-Jones (Rye, NY/Rye) (Rye, NY/Rye) recorded his eighth double-double of the season with 12 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. His 15 boards on the night tied a career-high he set earlier this season against Merrimack. Junior Randy Wilson (Peekskill, NY/Peekskill) (Peekskill, NY/Peekskill) finished with 10 points and nine rebounds, while sophomore Laurence McGhee (Linden, NJ/Linden) paced the Setters offense dishing out a game-high 10 assists.

Bentley had three players score in double figures led by Jason Westrol's team-high 23 points on 9-for-13 shooting, including 3-for-5 from three and 2-for-2 from the line. Westrol also brought down a team-high 12 rebounds for the double-double. Lew Finnegan added 13 points and Mike Quinn chipped in with 11 points. The trio combined for nine of the 10 three pointers on the night for the Falcons.

The Falcons came out strong taking the lead for the majority of the first half. A three-pointer from Yusuf Abdul-Ali at the 9:45 pushed Bentley's lead to double digits, 28-16. The Falcons would lead by as many as 14, as a pair of free throws from Nate Fitsch made the game 30-16. The Setters would cut their deficit back down to single digits, 37-28, on a lay up by Williams with 2:18 left in the half, but Finnegan's jumper with 52 seconds remaining pushed the Falcons lead back to double digits, 39-28, which would end up being the halftime score.

Setters came out of the break firing with the help of a 7-0 run on a pair of threes from Williams and White, cutting their deficit down to four, 39-35, with 17:58 left in the game. White's jumper would later make it a three-point game, 44-41, with 14:19 remaining, but the Falcons remained in control pushing their lead back to double digits, 51-41, with 12:21 remaining in the game, answering with a 7-0 run. Pace would not go down easy as the Setters battled back cutting their deficit once again, this time to two, 52-50, with the help of a 9-1 run with 10:02 left in the game. That would be as close as Pace would get as the Falcons once again pushed their lead to double figures, 13, using a 13-2 run to make the game 65-52. The Setters scoring drought would prove costly as Pace would not be able to recover, but not before showing their resiliency once again. Down by 12, 69-57, with 3:23 remaining in the game, the Setters used a 9-0 run to cut their deficit to 3, 69-66, with just 50 seconds left in the game. Pace would have two opportunities to tie the game and force a possible overtime, but neither Quincy-Jones nor White were able to convert their three-point attempts. Westrol would ice the game drilling his two free throws as Bentley escaped with the five point victory, 71-66.

Pace finished the game shooting 35.8% (24-for-67) from the field, including 39.1% (9-for-23) from three. The Setters went 9-for-13 (69.2%) from the line. Bentley finished the game shooting 38.3% (23-for-60) from the field, including 29.4% (10-for-34) from beyond the arc. The Falcons were an efficient 15-for-16 (93.8%) from the line and also controlled the battle of the glass, 44-39.

Pace returns to action this Saturday the 26^th, as the Setters will play host to the Skyhawks of Stonehill College in a Northeast-10 Conference match up. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. The Pace University Athletics Department will also be hosting "Child Identification Day" set to take place between 1-5 p.m. at the Goldstein Fitness Center.