PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – The Pace University men's basketball team shot nearly 50 percent from the field in the first half on Wednesday, but it was not enough to hold of No. 19 Saint Anselm College, as the Setters dropped a Northeast-10 Conference matchup to the nationally-ranked Hawks, 85-66, at the Goldstein Fitness Center.
The Setters hit 16-of-34 (47.1 percent) shots in the opening frame of Wednesday's contest, including 50 percent (4-of-8) from three-point range, but still trailed at the break, 41-36. They outshot the Hawks in the half, but Saint Anselm managed to earn 21 free-throw attempts in the first 20 minutes, making 13 to help them hold on to the lead.
Things looked tough for the Setters from the jump, as the Hawks quickly ran out to a 12-4 lead just five minutes into the game. Freshman forward
Ryan Peterson (Wethersfield, CT/St. Thomas More) then flipped the switch with his first three of the game. Junior forward
Austin Mofunanya (Englewood, NJ/Dwight Morrow / Lincoln College of NE) followed with a layup to get Pace within three, but Chris Braley sank one for the Hawks to improve their lead. Peterson then attempted another three, and flew in to grab the offensive rebound and lay it back in for two. Mofunanya once again followed with an impressive layup to get Pace within one.
After Grant Mackay made two from the charity stripe for Saint Anselm, Peterson tied the game at 16-16 with another triple. The Hawks went on to score the next six points, capped off by a Joshua Victory trey. Mofunanya and senior guard
Shelton Mickell (Queens, NY/Cardozo / Central Connecticut State) each scored two on back-to-back possessions to tie the game once again. Victor his one-of-two from the foul line, and Mofunanya scored once again to give the Setters their first lead of the game at 24-23.
The Hawks scored the next five points to take a four-point lead, but Peterson hit yet another three-pointer to climb back within one. Victor followed with a three of his own, but senior forward
Kyle Pearson (Woodbridge, NJ/Woodbridge / Fairleigh Dickinson University) got in on the action with another long ball. The teams went back-and-forth for much of the remaining time, but a couple late threes by Victor put Saint Anselm ahead by seven. Junior guard
Marcus Solomon (Wheatley Heights, NY/Half Hollow Hills West) cut into the deficit with a layup with three seconds left in the half, leaving the Setters down, 41-36, at the break.
The story changed in the second stanza, as the Hawks quickly took a double-digit lead, pushing it out to 17 points after an 18-6 run over the first five minutes of the half. The Hawks shot 50 percent (17-of-34) in the second half to hold on for the win.
Peterson led the Setters with 15 points on Wednesday, adding six rebounds and three assists. Pearson netted 13 points and pulled down a team-high nine boards. Mofunanya came off the bench to contribute 12 points and a pair of blocks, and Mickell tallied 10 more points.
Joshua led all scorers with 20 points, while Mike McCahey turned in 17 points and 12 boards for a double-double. Tim Guers led Saint Anselm with five assists.
The Setters played well from inside in the loss, outscoring the Hawks, 40-30, in the paint. They also held a slight 12-11 advantage in second-chance points.
The Setters will stay home for their third straight game at the Goldstein Fitness Center when they host Merrimack College for a Northeast-10 Conference matchup on Saturday, Jan. 9. The game is set to tip off at 1:30 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).
