PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – In a game that featured 17 lead changes, the Pace University men's basketball team dropped a 59-56 decision to the College of Saint Rose in Northeast-10 Conference action at the Goldstein Fitness Center on Wednesday. The loss sends Pace to 9-17 overall and 6-12 in NE-10 play, while Saint Rose moves to 12-13 on the year and 10-9 against the conference.
The men's team donned their Play4Kay t-shirts prior to Wednesday night's contest. If you would still like to join our team and make a donation to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, please visit www.Play4Kay.com/PaceBasketball.
With the loss, Pace is now tied for the fifth and final playoff spot in the Southwest Division with Le Moyne College. Saint Rose hangs on to third place in the division.
13 of the game's 17 lead changes took place in the second half as neither team was able to gain full control until the final minute. Wednesday's contest also saw 10 tie scores, including a 26-26 stalemate at the end of the first half.
Senior guard
Shelton Mickell (Queens, NY/Cardozo / Central Connecticut State) opened the second frame with a three-pointer, but Saint Rose's Damon Coleman fired right back with a three of his own to tie the game again. Freshman forward
Luke McLaughlin (Blauvelt, NY/Tappan Zee) then hit a layup to put Pace back up, but the score drew even again on a layup by Pharroh Gordon. Coleman then drew a three-point play to give the Golden Knights a three-point edge nearly four minutes into the half.
The Setters scored on back-to-back possessions to jump back into the lead. This set off a stretch of five straight shots that went in, resulting in a 39-39 score with 13:40 to play. Saint Rose's Mical-Ryan Boyd finally missed on a three-point attempt, and McLaughlin gave Pace the lead with a jumper. After two quite minutes, Max Weaver hit a three for the Golden Knights to put them back on top with 10:53 to go.
Pace got to the foul line on back-to-back possessions, but was only able to make one shot on each trip. Saint Rose then drew a foul, and Shane Herrity made both shots to take a 44-43 edge. Mickell then hit a layup, but Tyler Sayre canceled it out with one of his own. Sayre then hit another jumper to make it a three-point game, but Mickell got it back down to one with a pair of free throws at the 4:45 mark. After another two minutes without a score, Mickell got to the charity stripe again, making both shots to put Pace on top, 49-48.
Sophomore forward
Evan Gordinier (Monmouth Beach, NJ/Christian Brothers Academy) was the next Setter to get to the line, making both chances to match the Setters' largest lead of the half at three points. Boyd then evened the game with a trey at the 1:28 mark. Sayre took advantage of a Pace miss with another layup and a foul, leading to three points to give Saint Rose a 54-51 advantage with just 1:09 to go. The Setters were unable to score on two straight trips down the court, and Sayre was sent to the line with 40 seconds left, making both to make it a five-point game. The visitors' lead grew to six with 10 seconds left, but Rivers hit a three just before the buzzer to make it a three-point game. There was not enough time left after Rivers' basket for Pace to come back, resulting in the three-point defeat.
Mickell led the Setters with 18 points and three steals, adding six rebounds to his effort. Rivers scored 11 points and dished out a team-leading five assists. McLaughlin tallied seven points, matched a season-high with seven boards, and also blocked a pair of shots.
Sayre registered a double-double in the game, leading all scorers with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Coleman added 11 points and six helpers, while Weaver scored eight and grabbed four boards.
The Setters will look to bounce back and keep their playoff hopes alive when they visit the University of New Haven on Saturday, Feb. 20. In their last meeting, the Setters went a perfect 10-for-10 from three-point range and picked up a 70-59 victory over the Chargers. Tip-off for Saturday's NE-10 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).
