BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – After heading into the half with a six point lead, the Pace University women's basketball team blew up in the third quarter, outscoring its opponent, 28-15, to help lift the Setters to a 79-66 road victory against the University of Bridgeport, ranked sixth in this week's Women's Basketball Division II East-Region Media Poll, Tuesday evening at the Hubbell Gym.
THIRD-QUARTER RUN
- The Setters went on a 10-0 run early in the third quarter and eventually outscored the Purple Knights, 28-15, to take a 19-point lead into the fourth quarter.
- The Setters shot 8-of-15 (53.3 percent) from the field, 3-of-5 (60 percent) from three-point range, and 9-of-11 (81.8 percent) from the free-throw line in the third period to help gain a big lead.
HOW IT HAPPENED
1ST QUARTER
- Graduate student
Jaclyn Oskam (Glenmont, NY/Bethlehem Central / Quinnipiac University) opened the game with a three to set the tone, but Bridgeport's Aurelie Leblanc-Florent returned the favor moments later to tie the game.
- Evelyn Ovner hit a layup to put the Purple Knights up by two, but Oskam sank another three to take the lead back for the Setters.
- The Setters trailed, 9-8, before sophomore
Chelsea Schultz (Commack, NY/Commack) drained one from long distance to put the Setters back on top by two.
- Camera Miley tied it up for the Purple Knights, but sophomore
Heather Kiczek (Wallkill, NY/Wallkill) dropped a bucket in the paint to close out the first a 13-11 lead.
2ND QUARTER
- Sophomore
Alexandra Monteleone (Cold Spring, NY/Haldane) nailed back-to-back threes just 26 second apart early in the second frame to run the Setters' lead up to eight.
- Senior
Kirsten Dodge (Fabius, NY/Fabius-Pompey) then hit a layup to give Pace a 10-point advantage before Bridgeport finally got on the board at the 6:36 mark.
- The Knights whittled the deficit down to one with 2:40 left in the half, but senior
Christina Rubin (Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic / Iona College) kept the Setters on top with a three.
- Monteleone and Rubin scored the next four points for Pace, and Bridgeport's Nicole Johnson closed out the half with a pair of free throw, leaving the Setters on top, 30-24, heading into the locker room.
HALFTIME STATS
- Monteleone led all scorers at the break after scoring all eight of her points in the second quarter.
- Dodge filled up the stat sheet with four point, four rebounds, two blocks and two steals in the opening half.
- Bridgeport's Samnell Vonleh led the team with six point, while Ovner and Morgen Caution matched for a game-high eight rebounds.
3RD QUARTER
- Bridgeport got back within four at 34-30 by the 8:00 mark of the third quarter.
- A pair of free throws by Dodge then kicked off Pace's 10-0 run.
- Monteleone hit her third three of the game, and she later added her fourth to put the Setters up 42-30.
- Rubin hit a jumper off a fast break at 4:14 to make it a 14-point game before Bridgeport managed to get back on the board.
- With Pace up, 46-34, junior
Geena Rosalbo (Staten Island, NY/Curtis) went on a big run of her own, starting off with a layup through contact that hit nothing but net and led to a three-point play.
- She later hit a three after being set up by Oskam, and capped off her eight-point run with two more foul shots that gave the Setters a commanding 18-point lead.
- Monteleone closed out the third stanza with another set of free throws to give the Setters a 58-39 edge heading into the final period.
4TH QUARTER
- The game slowed down in the fourth as both teams combined for 20 fouls and 31 chances from the stripe.
- Bridgeport made four of its five threes in the fourth quarter, combined with 11 free throws to help get as close as eight points in the final minutes, but the Setters locked down in the end to hang on for a big 13-point victory on the road.
SETTER STATS
- Monteleone matched a career-high 21 points to lead all scorers in Tuesday's win. She added five rebounds and four assists, and went 4-of-6 from three-point range.
- Rosalbo scored 17 of her 19 points in a big second half, and also went 8-of-10 from the free-throw line. She matched Monteleone with four assists.
- Dodge finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals in a solid game.
- Kiczek added four points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals off the bench.
PURPLE KNIGHT LEADERS
- Ovner had a big game for the Purple Knights, tallying 17 points and 16 rebounds for a double-double.
- Leblanc-Florent added 13 points, while Miley scored 11.
- Samnell Vonleh had a game-high four rejections.
RECORDS
- Pace: 7-5
- Bridgeport: 7-3
WHAT'S NEXT?
- The Setters return home on Friday, Dec. 16, to host Concordia College in another non-conference matchup at the Goldstein Fitness Center. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
For all information regarding Pace University women's basketball, log on to
www.PaceUAthletics.com and follow Pace Women's Basketball on Facebook (
Pace Women's BBall), Twitter (
@PaceWBB) and Instagram (
@PaceWBB).
