PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – Senior
Margo Hackett scored a team-best 16 points to help the Setters defeat the Saint Michael's Purple Knights at home on Saturday. With the victory, Pace now stands at 9-10, 4-8 NE-10 while St. Michael's drops to 8-9, 3-9 NE-10.
After falling behind by seven points in the opening 1:11 of play, the Setters answered with eight consecutive points with help from a layup and a pair of free throws by Hackett. St. Michael's reclaimed the lead but with 13:20 left in the half freshman
Gabriella Rubin netted a layup that put Pace back on top 12-11. The Purple Knights climbed back up by six points with 8:59 to go in the half until senior
Jaclyn Oskam responded with a basket that sparked a 10-2 Pace run, capped off by a
Kirsten Dodge layup. Trailing by one point with 2:03 remaining, Dodge netted another layup to help the Setters carry a 26-25 advantage into the break.
To open the second half Hackett and Oskam each splashed shots from distance to pull Pace up by three. Now leading by just one point with 13:43 remaining, G. Rubin banked a layup that was followed by another Oskam long-ball to stretch the Pace lead to six. Following a Purple Knights basket, Hackett added back-to-back layups to put the Setters up 45-38 with 10:23 left in the game. Two minutes later, Oskam connected again from deep for her third three-pointer of the contest. Pace closed out the game on a strong note. In the final 1:51 of play, the Setters rallied behind a perfect 14-14 mark from the charity stripe with Hackett and G. Rubin each netting four. Following the impressive finish, Pace defeated St. Michael's by a final score of 71-58.
Hackett shot 7-8 from the stripe to lead Pace with 16 points and four rebounds. G. Rubin added 15 points with two assists while Oskam scored 15 points with seven rebounds. The Setters out-rebounded the Purple Knights 38-25 as
Yuni Sher scored 12 points with six rebounds while Dodge pulled down eight boards and scored seven points.
The Setters look to build some momentum as they return to the court on Tuesday when they will host the Assumption Greyhounds at 5:30 p.m.
