SHIELDS DOUBLE-DOUBLE LEADS SETTERS TO PLAYOFF WIN OVER MERRIMACK
PACE ADVANCES FACE AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL IN NE-10 QUARTERFINALS

PLEASANTVILLE, NY- Brittany Shields (Cold Spring, NY/Haldane) recorded a double-double with 30 points and 12 rebounds to lead the #5 seed Setters to a come-from-behind over the #12 seed Merrimack College Warriors. It was her second straight 30-point game and her third in the last four games to carry the Setters to a 70-64 victory over the Warriors. The Setters, ranked #10 in the latest NCAA Division II Northeast Regional poll, improve to 18-10 overall, while the Warriors end their season at 9-19.  

The first half saw hot shooting by both squads as the Warriors and the Setters each shot over 50% over the first 20 minutes of play. After early exchanges of baskets, Merrimack ripped off an 8-2 run to pull ahead by seven points midway through the half. The Setters would trail by as much as 10 points at 40-30 with 1:30 left in the first half before they trimmed the lead down to eight and trailed 41-33 at the break. Shields led all scorers with 18 points. Pace shot 15-for-28 (53.6%) in the first half, while Merrimack netted 57.7% (15-for-26) of their shots.

Pace found their defense at halftime and brought it in the second half, limiting the Warriors to one field goal over the first 7:12 of the second half. The Setters used a 10-2 over that span, capped off by a three-point play by Shiesha McCollum (Newburgh, NY/Washingtonville) (Newburgh, NY/Washingtonville) to knot the game at 43. Shields would give the Setters their first lead since early in the opening half with 11:21 remaining in the game. The score would stay within three point until the Setters pulled ahead with an 8-2 run to take a 61-53 lead with 3:21 left in the game. Merrimack rallied back on back-to-back trifectas by Casey Miller and Sarah Benischeck to slice the Pace lead back to two points. In the final minutes, the Setters headed to the free throw line, connecting on 7-of-10 as Taylor Losey (Bristol, CT/Bristol Eastern) (Bristol, CT/Bristol Eastern) hit 3-for-4 and Shields capped it off with a perfect 2-for-2 with three seconds remaining in the game to seal the victory for Pace.

For Pace, Shields was the lone Setter to eclipse double figures with her 30 points and lead all rebounders with a game-high 12. Losey chipped in nine points, while Laura Mooney (Staten Island, NY/St. John Villa) (Staten Island, NY/St. John Villa) dished out a game-high five assists.

For Merrimack, Gennifer Roy led five Warriors in double-figures with 13 points, while Tiffany Colon came off the bench to total 12 points and seven rebounds. Hannah DeGraffinreed posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 caroms.

#5 Pace advances to the Quarterfinals of the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament where they will square off against #4 American International College on Tuesday, March 3 at 7 pm in Springfield, MA.

To view photos from this game, please go to http://www.csi-photo.net/gallery.html