LAKEWOOD, N.J. – Freshman forward
Ryan Peterson (Wethersfield, CT/St. Thomas More) set a new career high with 22 points to fuel the Pace University men's basketball team to an 82-73 non-conference conquest of Georgian Court University Thursday evening at the Wellness Center Arena. The win is the third in a row for the Setters, who improve to 5-4 on the season. The Lions fall to 2-7 with the loss.
Peterson made five three-pointers on the night, and scored a team-high 12 points in the second half to help the Setters hold on late. He also pulled down seven rebounds and had two steals in the game.
The Setters fell behind, 22-17, midway through the first half. They then went on a 17-0 run, including four three-pointers, to run out to a 34-22 advantage. Senior guard
Shelton Mickell (Queens, NY/Cardozo / Central Connecticut State) added another triple with 36 seconds to play in the opening frame, but Georgian Court's Keith Hughes hit one of his own on the way back down, leaving Pace up, 41-32, heading into the break.
Hughes opened the second stanza with a jumper, but Mickell fired back with yet another three to take a 10-point lead. After Nikola Vujovic hit just the backend of a pair of free throws, sophomore guard
Bryan Rivers (West Windsor, NJ/Peddie School) sank another trey to put the Setters up, 47-35. Two possessions later, Peterson nailed his fourth triple of the game to push the Setter advantage to 15 points.
After the Setters took a 54-40 lead, the Lions found a rhythm and went on a 12-2 run to get back within four. Pace held a 62-57 edge, but Juwuan Carter scored five straight points for the Lions to tie the game. The home team took its first lead of the second half when Hughes finished a fast break with a dunk, giving Georgian Court a 64-62 lead with 7:09 to play.
Peterson responded with a big three for the Setters to put them back up by one, but Carter took the lead back for the Lions with a three of his own. Later on, freshman forward
Luke McLaughlin (Blauvelt, NY/Tappan Zee) made a pair of free throws to put the Setters back up by a pair, and Peterson made two more to improve the lead to four. Georgian Court made threes on back-to-back possessions, tying the game on the second after senior forward
Kyle Pearson (Woodbridge, NJ/Woodbridge / Fairleigh Dickinson University) made a jumper for Pace.
A steal by
Bryan Rivers (West Windsor, NJ/Peddie School) changed the momentum of the game with just over three minutes remaining. Pearson went on to make a pair of free throws on the ensuing possession, kicking off a game-closing 9-0 run for Pace. Peterson later made a jumper for a four-point lead, forcing the Lions to start fouling. Mickell got the ball and drew a foul, making both chances to go up by six. Mickell then intercepted a pass and sprinted down the court, laying the ball in for an eight-point lead. Junior forward
Austin Mofunanya (Englewood, NJ/Dwight Morrow / Lincoln College of NE) made a free throw with 24 seconds left to close out the game.
The Setters continued their hot-shooting streak on Thursday, making 47.3 percent (26-of-55) from the field. They also shot 11-of-25 from three-point range (44 percent). They outrebounded the Lions, 39-32, in the win.
Mickell finished up with 18 points on the night, including three long balls. Pearson totaled 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Rivers and sophomore forward
Victor Jusino (Morris Plains, NJ/St. Peter's Prep) matched with 11 points, and Rivers dished out a team-best five assists.
Hughes led the Lions with 21 points on the evening, while Michael Pierre registered 19. Carter scored 15 and matched Vujovic with a team-leading six boards.
Riding a three-game winning streak, the Setters face their toughest task of the season thus far, as they head into a matchup with No. 9 Southern Connecticut State University on Saturday, Dec. 12, with at least a share of first place in the Northeast-10 Southwest Division on the line. Tip-off for Saturday's divisional matchup is set for 3:30 p.m.
For all information regarding Pace University men's basketball log on to
www.PaceUAthletics.com and follow Pace men's basketball on Twitter (
@PaceMBB).
