HUGGINS' DOUBLE-DOUBLE LEADS SETTERS TO THIRD STRAIGHT VICTORY
PACE BENCH DOMINATES MERRIMACK 33-2

PLEASANTVILLE, NY- The Setters, ranked #10 in the latest NCAA Division II Northeast Regional poll, were led by Brittany Huggins' (Windsor, CT/Windsor) double-double effort as Pace held off the Warriors of Merrimack College 72-64. Pace improves to 15-8 overall and 12-7 in the Northeast-10, while the Warriors drop to 7-17 and 6-13 in conference play.

Merrimack got up early on Pace as the Warriors, building a 15-10 lead midway through the opening half. The Setters responded with a 19-7 run to turn the tables on the Warriors, to sprint to a 29-22 advantage with 3:22 left in the first half. The run was keyed by a trio of trifectas by Huggins, Lisa Welsome (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter's) (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter's) and Taylor Losey (Bristol, CT/Bristol Eastern). The Warriors rallied down the stretch, slicing the Setter lead to three points at 31-28 at the break.

The Setters opened the second half on fire as they connected on their three field goals, extending their halftime to nine points at 39-30 with just over 17 minutes left in the game. The Warriors would get back in the game with a 12-2 to take a one point lead with 13:40 remaining in the game. The teams would trade baskets over the next few minutes with the Setters jumping ahead by five points on a Huggins' three-point play with 8:49 to go in the game. A pair of free throws by Amanda Shannon and a triple by Casey Miller quickly knotted the game at 55 at the 7:33 mark. Merrimack would pull ahead by three, but the Setters would rally to take a three point lead in a four minutes stretch. A trifecta by Gennifer Roy brought the game to its third tie of the day at 62 with 2:49 left in the game.

Pace would not be deterred as they a three-pointer by Laura Mooney (Staten Island, NY/St. John Villa) (Staten Island, NY/St. John Villa) with 1:08 remaining would start a 10-2 run for the Setters to close the game to give them the victory. The Setters would hit 7-of-9 from the free throw line in the final minutes as Huggins would account for a perfect 6-for-6 performance down the stretch.

For Pace, Huggins' double-double led the way for the Setters as she shot 6-for-13 from the field and 10-for-11 from the charity stripe. Losey tallied 19 points and three assists on 7-for-14 shooting from the field. Welsome totaled 11 points, two rebounds and two assists, while Brittany Shields (Cold Spring, NY/Haldane) finished with eight points and eight rebounds.

For Merrimack, Roy and Shannon each scored 19 points, while Roy grabbed six boards and Shannon totaled seven. Miller tallied 17 points, while Hannah DeGraffinreed totaled seven points and 11 caroms.

Pace returns to action on Wednesday, February 18 when the Setters travel to Easton, MA for a Northeast-10 Conference battle against the Skyhawks of Stonehill College. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 1:30 pm.