PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – The Pace University men's basketball team dropped an 86-79 contest to Franklin Pierce University on Wednesday night inside the Goldstein Fitness Center.

Inside the Numbers
*It was a four-man show offensively for the Setters as Greg Poleon (Brooklyn, NY/Abraham Lincoln / Coffeyville CC), Austin Gilbertson (Etters, PA/Trinity), Brandon Jacobs (Cambria Heights, NY/Long Island Lutheran), and Peyton Wejnert (Point Pleasant, NJ/Southern Regional) combined for 69 of Pace's 79 points. In fact, Ray Montilus (Union, NJ/Pope John XXII) was the only other player to record a field goal for Pace, finishing with eight points.

*Gilbertson was the team leader with 19 points, while Poleon and Wejnert each added 17. Jacobs rounded out the attack with 16. The foursome ended the night by shooting 25-of-52 from the field (48 percent).

*Gilbertson has now reached double figures in five-straight games while Poleon has put together three-straight double-digit efforts.

*Jacobs also dished the ball nicely for the Blue and Gold, tallying a season-high six assists. Poleon and Luke McLaughlin (Blauvelt, NY/Tappan Zee) tied for the team lead in the rebounds department with six apiece.  Poleon also registered Pace's two blocks on the night.

*The Setters turned the ball over just eight times compared to 14 on the other side. Montilus swiped a team-high three steals while Jacobs added a pair of his own.

*Pace finished 17-of-24 from the free-throw line and 6-of-17 from beyond the arc. Franklin Pierce made six of their nine three-point attempts in the second half.

How it Happened
In a tight first half that saw nine ties and four lead changes, neither team enjoyed more than a six-point cushion. Franklin Pierce's 14-8 edge was its largest until deep into the second half. A Montilus jumper provided the Setters their largest advantage at 21-17 with 8:08 remaining in the half. Pace and the Ravens exchanged their final five field goals of the first 20 minutes, sending the Blue and Gold into the break with a one-point lead, 37-36.

The back and forth action continued into the beginning of the second half with Pace clinging to its one-point lead at 48-47 with 14:20 remaining. The Ravens started to swing the momentum with a quick 8-2 run yielding a 55-50 edge. They would then extend the lead to 60-52 and 62-54.

The Blue and Gold hung tough, however, staying within five points the rest of the way, and cutting the lead to just one on a pair of occasions. A pair of free throws from Gilbertson slimmed the edge to just 64-63, which would be the closest Pace would get. A 10-4 stretch from the visitors nabbed a 74-68 lead while another rapid 4-0 run provided an 80-73 edge with 2:08 left. A final three-ball from Gilbertson trimmed the score to 81-77, but Pace was unable to get closer than that.

Up Next
The Setters will hit the road on Saturday to take on Assumption College. Pace is set to cap off a men's and women's doubleheader at approximately 3:30 p.m.