MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Pace University men's basketball team got 2017 kicked off on the right foot, as sophomore
Ryan Peterson (Wethersfield, CT/St. Thomas More) and senior
Austin Mofunanya (Englewood, NJ/Dwight Morrow / Lincoln College of NE) had a pair of huge games to lift the Setters to an 85-75 victory over Saint Anselm College in Wednesday's Northeast-10 Conference contest on the road at Stoutenburgh Gym.
CAREER NIGHT FOR PETERSON AND MOFUNANYA
- Peterson netted a career-high 28 points, fueled by a career-best six three-pointers to lead all scorers on the evening.
- Mofunanya registered his second double-double of the season after scoring 20 points and pulling down a career-best 17 rebounds. He also added a career-high four blocks.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST HALF
- Peterson got Pace off to a hot start, forcing a three-point play on the Setters' first possession, and then draining a three the next time down the court to take an early 6-2 lead.
- Leading 9-6, redshirt sophomore
Mike Demello (Mohegan Lake, NY/White Plains) hit a triple of his own to make it a six-point game at the 16-minute mark.
- Peterson hit his second three of the game at the 14:40 mark to put the Setters on top, 15-8.
- Saint Anselm then found a rhythm, scoring the next 12 points to claim a 20-15 lead with
Christian White (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute / Syracuse University) got in on the action with a jumper from the top of the key to put the Setters on top by five.
- The Hawks added one point on a free throw by Grant Mackay with 1:57 until the break, but Peterson sank his fourth long ball of the half to send the Setters into the locker room with a 40-33 edge.
HALFTIME LEADERS
- Peterson led all scorers with 17 points after going 4-of-5 from beyond the arc.
- Mofunanya registered a double-double in the first 20 minutes with 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. He also rejected two shots.
- Guers led the Hawks at the break with 13 points.
SECOND HALF
- The second frame got off to a slower start, as the Setters outscored the Hawks, 8-7, to open the half and take a 48-40 lead with 16:09 to play.
- The Hawks then went on a 9-2 run, cutting Pace's lead to one at 50-49.
- Freshman
Peyton Wejnert (Point Pleasant, NJ/Southern Regional) got Pace back on the board with a layup, but the Hawks responded with two from Taylor Fortin to get back within a point.
- Peterson then hit yet another three to make it a four-point Setter lead with 11:35 to go.
- A four-point run later in the half for the Hawks tied the game at 57-57 with 8:55 to play.
- Mofunanya put Pace back on top with a jumper, and then McLaughlin drew a foul, making both shots to take a four-point lead once again.
- Saint Anselm's Cody Ball got the home team back within a point with a three at the 6:49 mark.
- Grant Mackay hit a free throw to later get Saint Anselm back within two, but Peterson threw the momentum back in Pace's direction with a slam dunk, drawing a foul in the process for a three-point play to give the Setters a 68-63 advantage with 5:44 to play.
- Chris Braley hit a layup for the Hawks, but Demello hit a clutch three to go up by six with under four minutes left.
- Guers came right down the court and hit a two from in the paint, but Demello ran right down the court and drilled another long ball to stretch Pace's lead to seven.
- The Hawks managed to make it a three-point game again when Guers hit a jumper at the 1:38 mark.
- Demello and White then combined to make 9-of-10 foul shots down the stretch to claim a 10-point victory in the crucial road NE10 contest.
SETTER STATS
- Demello's 12 second-half points lifted him to a 17-point evening.
- White finished up with nine points while dishing out a team-high six assists.
- The Setters shot a season-best 50.8 percent (30-of-59) from the field, and 52.6 percent (10-of-19) from beyond the arc.
HAWK LEADERS
- Guers led the Hawks with 23 points, while Taylor Fortin added 15 points and a game-high seven assists.
- Braley finished with a double-double after scoring 14 points and pulling down 11 boards.
RECORDS
- Pace: 5-10 (2-5 NE10)
- Saint Anselm: 6-4 (4-4 NE10)
UP NEXT
- Pace gets right back on the road to take on Merrimack College in NE10 action on Saturday, Jan. 7 in North Andover, Mass. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. following the women's contest.
For all information regarding Pace University men's basketball log on to
www.PaceUAthletics.com and follow Pace men's basketball on Twitter (
@PaceMBB).
