SHIELDS AND HUGGINS NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
WALTHAM, Mass.- The Setters of Pace University dropped a heartbreaker to the Falcons of Bentley University 64-61 in the NCAA Division II East Region Finals hosted by Bentley University. The Setters end the season at 25-8, while the Falcons improve to 28-4 and advance to the Elite 8.
It was a defensive battle for most of the first half but Bentley would use a 20-7 run to build a 12-points lead 26-14 with 3:07 to go in the half. The Setters would answer with an 8-2 run to close the half to trail 28-2 2at the break.
Pace would find their offensive rhythm in the second half as they used a 14-7 to start the final period to take a 36-35 lead with 14:52 remaining in the game. The rest of the game would be a back and forth with both teams playing well that featured five lead changes and three ties over the final 14 minutes of play.
In the final three minutes, Maral Javadifar (Flushing, NY/The Mary Louis Academy) (Flushing, NY/Mary Louis Academy) tied the game at 57 with 2:39 to play. Following a Bentley missed shot, Brittany Huggins (Windsor, CT/Windsor) (Windsor, CT/Windsor) put Pace up by two points, with 1:39 left in the game. The teams would trade missed baskets but a steal by Kerri White (Flushing, NY/Archbishop Molloy) (Flushing, NY/Archbishop Molloy) set up a turn-around jumper from Javadifar to put the Setters up by four points with 38 seconds on the clock.
Bentley would answer as Kim Brennan was fouled as she scored on a lay-up and hit the ensuing free throw to pull the Falcons to within one point at 61-60 with 30 seconds to play. The Setters would turn the ball on their next possession and Brennan would the go-ahead basket with 12 seconds left in the game. On the next Pace possession, the Setters would miss their shot and Brennan would grab the rebound and get fouled with 00.9 seconds on the clock. Brennan would hit a pair of free throws to put Bentley up three to put the game out of reach.
For Pace, Huggins led the way with 25 points on 11-for-21 shooting and 3-for-5 from downtown. Brittany Shields (Cold Spring, NY/Haldane) posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Shields became the 22nd player in school history to post 500 rebounds for her career. Huggins and Shields were both named to the East Region All-Tournament team for their play in three games.
