NEW HAVEN, CONN. – The Pace University women's basketball team fell in conference play for the first time this season on Saturday afternoon, dropping a 61-58 contest to Southern Connecticut State University. The loss ends a five-game win streak for the Setters, who are now 8-2 on the year and 5-1 against the Northeast-10 Conference.

Inside the Numbers
*Jackie DelliSanti (Commack, NY/Commack) led the Setter offense with 18 points, her seventh time this season that she reached double figures. The sophomore guard finished the game 5-of-9 from the field, and now leads Pace this year at 13.5 points per contest.

*Alexandra Monteleone (Cold Spring, NY/Haldane) added 14 points of her own on the offensive side, her highest-scoring performance in five games.

*The Setters executed on Southern Connecticut fouls, shooting 21-of-25 from the free throw line. DelliSanti was eight-for-nine from the charity stripe, while Monteleone sank five of her six free-throw attempts.

*Freshman Lauren Schetter (Beacon, NY/Beacon High School) continued her strong season under the bucket, leading the team with eight total rebounds to bring her total for the year to 60. Schetter and junior Kristina Olikhver (Moscow, Russia/Saint Andrew's) each recorded four offensive boards to lead Pace.

*The Pace defense continued its strong play of late, forcing more than 20 turnovers for the third straight game. The Setters took full advantage of the takeaways, scoring 26 points on the Owls' 21 turnovers. The Blue and Gold also registered eight steals, with senior Geena Rosalbo (Staten Island, NY/Curtis) leading the team with three.

*Entering the matchup as the third-best defense in the conference at limiting opposing scoring, the Owls held Pace to a season-low .293 shooting percentage from the field.

How it Happened
The Setters found themselves in unfamiliar territory this year in the first quarter, with Southern Connecticut taking control early with an 8-0 run over the contest's opening two minutes. The Owls would pad the lead to 14-2 by the five minute mark, but the Setters would find their footing and end the quarter on a 10-2 run, cutting the Owl lead down to 16-12 with a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Monteleone.

The Blue and Gold continued to control momentum opening the second, pulling the score even at 19-19 three minutes into the quarter. The Owls would end the half with a number of mini-runs to re-take a five-point lead on three separate occasions, but Pace was able to respond with buckets of their own to keep Southern Connecticut from pulling away. At the end of 20 minutes, the Owls held a 32-29 advantage.

Both offenses came out of the locker room slow to begin the second half, combining for just nine points over the first seven minutes. Pace was able to capitalize on the limited chances, leading the scoring 6-3 to open the third quarter and knotting the score back up to 35-35. The shooters found life over the closing three minutes, as Rosalbo provided the Setters their first lead of the day with a longball at the 2:42 mark. Foul trouble for the Owls allowed Pace to end the period 5-for-6 from the free throw line to take a 43-42 lead for the fourth.

The Setters scored first to open the final frame, but SCSU responded with a 9-0 run to go back up 51-44 with six and a half left in regulation, eventually building their lead up to 10 with five minutes left. With the clock working against them, the Setters were able to pull back to within a single possession with a minute remaining, 58-55. The Owls, however, made critical shots from the free throw line to close out the contest as the Setter comeback effort fell just short with the 61-58 final.

Up Next
The Setters look to return to the win column on Wednesday when they travel to Molloy College. Tipoff for the non-conference contest is scheduled for 5 p.m.