PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – Despite a clamp-down defensive effort in the first half, the Pace University men's basketball team was defeated by Caldwell University on Thursday night, 73-68. The loss drops the Setters' record on the year to 2-8.

Inside the Numbers
*The Setters' offense stemmed from the hot hand of Austin Gilbertson (Etters, PA/Trinity), who led the Blue and Gold in scoring for the second straight game. The freshman guard scored 22 points, just two shy of his career-high set on Tuesday against New Haven. Gilbertson shot 8-for-17 from the field on the night, including a 4-of-8 effort from beyond the arc.

*Joining Gilbertson in double figures were Brandon Jacobs (Cambria Heights, NY/Long Island Lutheran) and Peyton Wejnert (Point Pleasant, NJ/Southern Regional). The freshman Jacobs scored 15 for Pace, and now leads the team in scoring this season (15.3 points per contest). With 11 points on the night, Wejnert is right behind Jacobs at 15.1 points per game.

*Pace won the battle on the offensive boards, out-rebounding Caldwell 14-11. Wejnert and sophomore Vinny Dalessandro (Levittown, PA/Conwell-Egan Catholic) each led the Blue and Gold with three offensive rebounds, with Wejnert leading the team on the night with nine total boards.

*The Setters' defense registered three blocks and two steals, all via different players. Wejnert and junior Greg Poleon (Brooklyn, NY/Abraham Lincoln / Coffeyville CC) each recorded a block, pushing their totals to the season to five apiece.

*The Setters allowed just 19 Caldwell points in the first half as they built up an eight-point lead at the break. The Cougars shot more than 55 percent from the field in the second half (16-for-29) on the way to scoring 54 points.

*In addition to the strong defensive efforts in the opening frame, Pace also knocked in five three-pointers in the first half--all off the hands of Gilbertson and Jacobs (5-of-9).

How it Happened
The Setters were able to control the game to get things started in the first half on the backs of sustained runs and strong shooting from beyond the arc. Pace opened the game on an 8-2 run over the first six minutes, with Luke McLaughlin (Blauvelt, NY/Tappan Zee) scoring six. The Setters would hold the lead until the 8:51 mark, where Caldwell began a 7-0 run to take a 16-10 advantage. The Blue and Gold did not wait to respond, ending the final eight minutes of the half by outscoring the Cougars 17-3 to take a 27-19 advantage at the end of 20 minutes.

Contained extremely well by the Setters' defense in the first half, the Cougars came out roaring over the final 20 minutes of play. Caldwell began chipping away at the Pace lead quickly, pulling the game even at 35-35 at the 14:18 mark. Pace put a stop to the 16-8 run with a bucket by Poleon to regain the lead seconds later, but Caldwell fired back immediately with an 11-0 run to give the Cougars their first lead of the half.

The Setters were able to maintain composure and rattled off a 10-0 stretch in response to retake the lead at 47-46 with under 10 minutes to play. However, continuing the trend of the half, Caldwell scored seven unanswered points to reclaim momentum and a lead that they would not surrender. The Setters outscored Caldwell 21-20 over the final seven minutes, but the mid-half run turned out to be the difference maker as the Cougars won with a 73-68 final.

Up Next
Pace looks the return to the win column this weekend when they travel to Southern Connecticut State University. The Setters and Owls tip-off on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.