PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – Senior Kirsten Dodge (Fabius, NY/Fabius-Pompey) registered her second-straight double-double, tallying 16 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Pace University women's basketball team to a 52-49 victory over Northeast-10 Conference foe Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) Wednesday evening at the Goldstein Fitness Center.

LGBTQ PRIDE HOOPS NIGHT
Throughout the evening, the first-ever LGBTQ Pride Hoops Night was celebrated at the Goldstein Fitness Center. The first 300 fans in attendance received special Pace Pride Hoops t-shirts.
 
Pace alumnus and LGBT activist Anthony Nicodemo, one of the driving forces in making Pride Hoops Night a possibility, joined Setter Nation for Wednesday evening's event, and was presented with a community service award on behalf of Pace Athletics. Nicodemo is the head boys basketball coach at Saunders High School and director of the Lower Hudson Basketball Coaches Association. He serves on the advisory boards for Center Lane LGBTQ Youth Center and the City of Yonkers, and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Sports Equality Foundation.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
1ST QUARTER
- The Setters and Owls traded the lead early on in the contest, but a three by SCSU's Maria Weselyj gave the Owls an 11-7 edge with 2:55 to go in the first quarter.
- Junior Gabriella Rubin (Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic) then came down the court and sank a layup to get Pace back within two.
- Sophomore Alexandra Monteleone (Cold Spring, NY/Haldane) followed that up the next time down the court by drawing a foul, making both shots to tie the game at the 1:31 mark.
- Dodge scored her first points of the game off a feed from Gabriella Rubin (Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic) with 28 seconds left in the first, putting the Setters on top, 13-11, heading into the second frame.
 
2ND QUARTER
- Monteleone tallied the first two points of the period 90 seconds in to give the Setters a four-point lead.
- Hanging on to a two-point advantage, the Setters went back up by four when sophomore Stefanie Svoboda (Ossining, NY/Ossining) swiped the ball away and laid it in off a fast break.
- Svoboda then drained a three the next time down the court, pushing the lead to seven with 5:15 to play in the half.
- Senior Christina Rubin (Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic / Iona College) increased the lead after sinking a layup through contact, and hitting the ensuing free throw after the foul was called to make it a 25-17 game.
- Dodge then put one off the glass and in to put the Setters up by 10 with just 1:40 left until the break.
- SCSU's Taylor McLaughlin made the last bucket of the half with 36 seconds to go, but the Setters maintained an eight-point advantage heading into the locker room.
 
HALFTIME STATS
- Dodge and Christina Rubin (Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic / Iona College) matched for a team-high six points at the break. Dodge also had five rebounds and a block.
- McLaughlin picked up a game-leading eight points in the first half for the Owls, as well as five boards and two assists.
 
3RD QUARTER
- A highly defensive quarter saw the Owls chip into the Setters' lead and get back within five with 1:27 left in the frame.
- Dodge made it a seven-point game again shortly after, but McLaughlin came right back with a layup to once again make it a five-point game.
- With the clock reading 0.3, Dodge drew a foul, making both chances from the line to give the Setters a 35-28 lead heading into the final period.
 
4TH QUARTER
- The Setters led by as many as 11 points, reaching their largest lead at the 7:06 mark after a layup by Christina Rubin (Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic / Iona College).
- Five straight points by McLaughlin cut the deficit to six, but it rose back to seven when freshman Jackie DelliSanti (Commack, NY/Commack) made the backend of a pair of free throws.
- McLaughlin then went to the line and made 1-of-2 to get the Owls within six at the 4:58 mark.
- Christina Rubin (Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic / Iona College) hit a clutch three just 15 seconds later off a dish from junior Geena Rosalbo (Staten Island, NY/Curtis) to make it a nine-point game.
- Later in the quarter, SCSU's Murphy Murad went on a fast break, sinking a layup to get the Owls within five with 2:18 on the clock.
- Monteleone got Pace back on the board on its next possession, cleaning up her own miss to make it a 52-45 game.
- McLaughin hit a big three for the Owls with 1:20 to go, bringing them back within four.
- The Setters were unable to score the next time down the court, giving the Owls a chance to get within one score.
- Murad drew a foul, but was only able to make the first of two free throws, making it a three-point game.
- Pace was unable to score once again, leaving time for the Owls to try one last shot and tie the game.
- Murad tried to line up a three from straight away, but Svoboda swatted it as soon as it left her hands, allowing time to expire and Pace to hang on for the three-point victory at home.
 
SETTER STATS
- Dodge picked up her second straight double-double with 16 points and 14 boards. She finished just one rebound shy of her career high of 15, set back in her freshman year on Feb. 25, 2014, in a matchup against Le Moyne College.
- Christina Rubin (Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic / Iona College) finished with a season-high 11 points and four rebounds in 17 minutes.
- Monteleone added eight points, six caroms and a game-high four assists.
- Svoboda contributed five points, two steals, two rejections and an assist in the win.
 
OWL LEADERS
- McLaughlin netted a game-high 26 points and finished with 11 rebounds for a double-double.
- Murad added seven points, a pair of assists and two steals.
- Paige Decker dished out a team-high three assists and pulled down six boards.
 
RECORDS
- Pace: 6-4 (2-3 NE10)
- SCSU: 3-6 (1-4 NE10)
 
WHAT'S NEXT?
- The Setters stay in Pleasantville to welcome Adelphi University to the Goldstein Fitness Center on Saturday, Dec. 10. The NE10 contest is set for a 1:30 p.m. tip-off.
- Saturday will be Rally Towel Day, and the first 400 fans will receive replica court rally towels.
 
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).