NORTH ANDOVER, MA- Junior Shelton Mickell netted a career-high 27 points as the Pace Men's Basketball team fell to Merrimack College 87-64 in Northeast-10 Conference action on Wednesday night.

The Setters fall to 4-10 overall and 0-7 in the NE-10, while the Warriors improve to 7-6 and 2-6 in conference play.

Kyle Pearson and Mickell netted a pair of early basket to put the Setters up 4-2 in the first two minutes of play. Merrimack answered with seven points to pull ahead 9-4 at the 14:16 mark. The Setters answered as Mickell hit a pair of free throws and connected from downtown to even the score at 9-9. The Warriors retook the lead on their way to a halftime advantage.

The Setters closed the gap in the second half as they scored the first six points to close to within 12 points in the first two minutes. Mickell netted four of the six points, while Khalil Brown added a bucket. Pace used a 9-2 run with freshman Mike Demello hitting a pair of triples, while Pearson added another from downtown as the Setters closed to within nine points at the 13:14 mark. The Warriors pushed their lead back to double figures, leading the rest of the way.

For the Setters, Mickell led the way with his career-best 27 points along with six rebounds. Pearson added 13 points, while Brown grabbed six boards. Demello finished with nine points and 11 rebounds.

The Setters host the Stonehill Skyhawks on Saturday, January 10 at 3:30 pm at the Goldstein Fitness Center.