PLEASANTVILLE, NY- Keon Williams (Hackensack, NJ/Hackensack/Iona College) (Hackensack, NJ/Hackensack/Iona College) posted a double-double with 24 points and 16 rebounds as the Setters down the Falcons of Bentley University 84-74 in Northeast-10 Conference action. The Setters move into a tie for second place as they improve to 8-5 overall and 6-3 in the NE-10, while the Falcons fall to 10-3 and 6-3 in conference play.
The Falcons led for most of the opening half as they held an eight-point advantage at three points over the first 13 minutes of play. Pace trailed 30-22 with 7:34 left in the half but rallied with an 11-3 run to tie the game at 33. Williams scored four points in the run, while Ahmad George (Bowie, MD/Archbishop Carroll) (Bowie, MD/Archbishop Carroll) capped the run with the game tying-triple. Bentley took back the lead and headed into the break with a 45-38 advantage.
The Setters came out strong to start the second half as they used an 11-0 run in the first two minutes to jump into the lead. George and Denzel Primus-Devonish (Riverdale, MD/St. John's College) (Riverdale, MD/St. John's College) connected on back-to-back three-pointers, while Williams converted a three-point play with 18:02 left in the game to put. the Setters ahead 47-45. Primus-Devonish connected on a jumper to cap the run to extend the Pace lead to four points.
Pace never trailed for the rest of the game and extended their lead to much as 16 points with 7:48 left in the game. Williams' two free throws put the Setters up 71-55 and capped a 33-10 run to start the second half to give Pace the advantage. Bentley rallied as they got as close as six points at 75-69 with 3:46 left in the game. The Setters headed to the line in the final two minutes as they converted 9-of-12 from the line down the stretch to secure the win. Williams went 3-for-4, while Primus-Devonish hit 5-of-6 to give Pace their first win over Bentley since February 22, 2003.
For Pace, Williams' double-double led the way as he shot 8-for-15 from the field and 8-for-9 from the line for the game. Primus-Devonish also shined as he finished with 18 points, five rebounds and four assists. Jonathan Merceus (Union, NJ/Union) (Union, NJ/Union) was a force on both ends of the court as he tallied 13 points, nine rebounds, four blocks and two steals.
The Setters return to action on Wednesday, January 11 as Pace hosts Saint Anselm College for a Northeast-10 Conference game at the Goldstein Fitness Center at 7:30 pm. For updates on the game log on to www.pacesettersathletics.com for livestats and video or follow @paceuathletics on twitter.
