Box Score PACE OUTLASTS BENTLEY IN
PIVOTAL CONFERENCE BATTLE 81-70
SHIELDS POSTS 7TH DOUBLE-DOUBLE OF THE SEASON
PLEASANTVILLE, NY- The Setters strong first half output powered
Pace to a key Northeast-10 Conference victory as the Setters
knocked off the Falcons of Bentley University 81-70 at the
Goldstein Fitness Center. Brittany Shields
(Cold Spring, NY/Haldane) turned in her seventh
double-double effort of the season as she posted game-highs with 21
points and 12 rebounds to lead the Setters to a 10-4 record and 7-3
in the NE-10. The Falcons fall to 12-7 and 8-4 in conference play.
Pace came out firing early and often as the Setters would
connect on four triples over the first seven and half minutes of
play to build an early 18-4 advantage. Kristin Connolly (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter's)
(Staten Island, NY/St. Peter's), Laura Mooney (Staten Island, NY/St. John Villa)
(Staten Island, NY/St. John Villa), and Lisa
Welsome (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter's) all connected on
shots from downtown, while the run was capped by Brittany
Huggins (Windsor, CT/Windsor) with 12:39 left in the
opening half. The Setters would keep the pressure on the Falcons,
bulging their lead to as much as 26 points at 40-14 with just under
four minutes left to play. Bentley would close with a 9-2 run to
slice the Setter lead to 42-23 at the break. The Setters shot
17-for-29 (58.6%) from the field, while holding the Falcons to a
mere 7-for-28 (25.0%) shooting in the opening half.
Bentley opened the second half with a 10-2 run to cut the Setter
lead to 11 at 44-33 with just over 15 minutes left in the game.
Pace would rally, pushing their lead to as high as 18 at 56-38 with
just over 12 minutes to go in the game. The Falcons would make
their run midway through the half, getting their deficit to 10
points at the 6:36 mark on a three-point play by Kelly Barrett.
Bentley continued to stay in the game, battling the lead back to
nine points down with just over a minute and half left in the game.
The Setters would pull away down the stretch as Shields hit a
lay-up on the ensuing Pace possession and connected on 3-of-4 from
the charity stripe in the waning seconds to seal the win in a
pivotal Northeast-10 Conference game.
For Pace, Shields led the way with her double-double effort,
while Huggins chipped in 17 points and four rebounds, while
shooting 7-for-10 from the field. Connolly added 12 points, while
Mooney finished with six points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
For Bentley, Kristy McLean led the Falcons with 17 points and
four boards, while Kim Brennan totaled 15 points and five caroms.
The Setters return to action on Tuesday, January 20 when the
#10-nationally ranked Skyhawks of Stonehill College come to
Pleasantville for another key Northeast-10 Conference battle. The
game at Pace's Goldstein Fitness Center is set for a 5:30 p.m.
tip-off.
