BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Pace University men's basketball team opened the Boca Raton Holiday Classic against host Lynn University on Friday, and made a late push to close the gap, but the Setters ran out of time and fell to the Fighting Knights, 85-77.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST HALF
- The Setters opened the game on a 7-0 run, capped off with a three by freshman
Ray Montilus (Union, NJ/Pope John XXII) at the 17:46 mark.
- The Fighting Knights began to chip away, but threes by sophomore
Ryan Peterson (Wethersfield, CT/St. Thomas More) and Montilus kept Pace on top, 13-7.
- Lynn then went on a 12-0 run to claim a 19-13 edge over the Setters.
- The Knights' lead extended out to 18 points late in the opening frame, and the home team took a 44-29 lead into halftime.
HALFTIME LEADERS
- Senior
Austin Mofunanya (Englewood, NJ/Dwight Morrow / Lincoln College of NE) led the Setters with eight points at the break.
- Lynn's Jamal Palmer led all scorers with 15 points at halftime, including three long balls.
SECOND HALF
- Montilus made 1-of-2 free throws on the Setters' first possession of the half to make it a 44-30 game in the opening minute.
- Both teams went back-and-forth throughout the half, with the Fighting Knights stretching its lead as high as 21 points by the 12:28 mark, but the Setters continued battling.
- The Setters fought back late, cutting the deficit to eight after a 19-6 run made it 73-65 with 3:05 left on the clock.
- Pace worked hard to keep up its momentum, but the Fighting Knights stayed true to their name and fought back to extend their lead to 13 points with just 1:20 to go.
- Even with the game looking like it was out of reach, the Setters kept on scoring points, finishing on each of their final four possessions, but the clock ran out on them with momentum on their side.
SETTER STATS
- Freshman
Peyton Wejnert (Point Pleasant, NJ/Southern Regional) finished with a career-high 24 points, and registered his second double-double of the year with 10 rebounds. He also picked up three steals and a block.
- Peterson made four threes in the game and tallied 19 points, while also pulling down eight boards.
- Graduate student
Christian White (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute / Syracuse University) dished out a game-high nine assists and stole the ball four times.
- Freshman
Ray Montilus (Union, NJ/Pope John XXII) scored a career-best 14 points and added two steals, while Mofunanya matched him with 14 of his own.
FIGHTING KNIGHT LEADERS
- Palmer finished with a game-high 25 points, matching his career-high.
- Marquan Botley added 16 points and six assists.
- Vieux Kande matched Wejnert for a game-best 10 rebounds, while Allen Baez finished even with White with nine assists.
RECORDS
- Pace: 4-8
- Lynn: 5-4
UP NEXT
- The Boca Raton Holiday Classic concludes on Saturday, Dec. 17, as the Setters take on Palm Beach Atlantic University at 5:30 p.m. at Lynn.
For all information regarding Pace University men's basketball log on to
www.PaceUAthletics.com and follow Pace men's basketball on Twitter (
@PaceMBB).
