PLEASANTVILLE, NY- Jonathan Merceus (Union, NJ/Union) (Union, NJ/Union) netted a game-high 24 points but the Setters came up short in overtime as they fell to the Ravens of Franklin Pierce 77-76 in Northeast-10 Conference action. Pace falls to 3-14 overall and 1-10 in the NE-10, while the Ravens improve to 14-2 and 9-2 in conference play.
Franklin Pierce took the early lead as they led by 10 near the midway point of the half, before extending to the largest lead of the game at 36-19 with 6:15 to play. The Setters chipped away and used a 6-2 run in the run in the two minutes, capped by a pair of Denzel Primus-Devonish (Riverdale, MD/St. John's College) (Riverdale, MD/St. John's College) free throws to trail by 11 at 44-33 at the break.
The Setters got hot to start the second half as Merceus scored the first eight points of the half to pull Pace to within one possession at 44-41 less than three minutes into regulation. The Ravens pushed their advantage back to eight points but the Setters rallied closing back to 51-48 at the 14:09 mark. Franklin Pierce led 55-50 with 12:50 to play but the Setters roared back with a 6-0 spurt as Merceus gave Pace their first lead of the game at 56-55 with 9:28 remaining in regulation.
The game featured six ties and seven lead changes the rest of the way in the second half. The Ravens took a three point lead with just over a minute to play but Kai Smith (Upper Marlboro, MD/St. Mary's Ryken) (Upper Marlboro, MD/St. Mary's Ryken) netted the game-tying trey, his 100th of his career, to pull the Setters even. In the final seconds, the Setters' defense came up with a pair of blocks by Jamaal James (Brooklyn, NY/Brooklyn College Academy) (Brooklyn, NY/Brooklyn College Academy) and Jaylen Mann (Youngstown, OH/Liberty) to preserve the tie and force an extra period.
In the extra session, both defenses played a large role as the teams combined to shoot 1-for-10 in overtime. Mann netted a tip-in for the Setters at the 3:52 mark to put Pace in the lead at 76-74. The Ravens failed to connect on a field goal but connected on 3-of-4 at the line, including a pair with 39 seconds left to give them the lead for good. The Setters had one final shot with seconds ticking away rim out as the Ravens escaped with the win.
For Pace, Merceus tallied 24 points, eight boards and four steals, while James posted a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds to go along with two blocks and two steals. Mann also turned in a double-double effort with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Primus-Devonish handed out a game-high eight assists. Smith became the 21st member of the 100-three-point club with a pair of trifectas in the game, as he finished with 10 points.
The Setters hit the road this weekend as they travel to Colchester, VT for an NE-10 clash against St. Michael's College on Saturday, January 25 at 3:30 pm.
