PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – Despite leading for more than 23 minutes of game time, the Pace University women's basketball team was edged out by No. 3 Bentley University on Saturday afternoon, falling to the Falcons 72-66. With the loss, the Setters fall to 10-11 on the season and to 7-7 in the Northeast 10 Conference.
Inside the Numbers
*For the seventh time this season,
Alexandra Monteleone (Cold Spring, NY/Haldane) eclipsed 20 points offensively to lead the Setters for the day. The junior guard led all scorers from both teams with 23 points. She now leads the Blue and Gold this year with 13.3 points per game. Monteleone was also one of two Setters to record a team-high six rebounds in the contest.
*
Kristina Olikhver (Moscow, Russia/Saint Andrew's) had a season-high performance on the offensive side, scoring 14 points. Olikhver has now reached double figures in three of Pace's last five games.
*Overall, nine different Setters found their way onto the score sheet against Bentley.
*Joining Monteleone for the rebound lead for the day was
Italee Brown-Smikle (Farmingdale, NY/Farmingdale). The sophomore fell one rebound shy of matching her season high.
Lauren Schetter (Beacon, NY/Beacon High School), the leading rebounder for the Blue and Gold this season, added five boards for Pace.
*The Pace defense was able to limit Bentley shooters to an eight-for-28 opening half, but the Falcons shot 18-of-28 over the final two quarters to hold off the Setters.
How it Happened
The Setters came out in the first quarter with thunder, quickly beginning the contest on a 7-0 run over the first two minutes. The Falcons were able to recover to push the score to 7-7 over the ensuing four minutes. Pace would take the final charge of the opening quarter by outscoring Bentley 13-4 over the closing three and a half minutes, ending the period on another seven-point run to take a 20-11 lead after ten minutes. The Falcons were held to a .167 shooting percentage from the field in the quarter.
The Setters would remain in the lead for the duration of the second period, as Bentley was unable to pull any closer than five points. Neither team was able to put together a sustained run to close out the half, as both offenses were able to reply to baskets on one side of the court with buckets of their own. While the Falcons shot better in the second quarter (.375), Pace was able to maintain separation from Bentley to wrap up the opening half. A bucket and a foul shot by the Falcons in the closing minute sent Pace into halftime ahead, 34-29.
The second half told a different story for the Bentley offense, who shot .706 in the third quarter to swing momentum over to their favor. The Falcons went five-of-six in the first two and a half minutes of the quarter to knot the score up at 40-40. Pace would regain the lead off a
Geena Rosalbo (Staten Island, NY/Curtis) three pointer and were able to hold the advantage for two minutes, but the Falcons continued to make baskets to go ahead 49-47 with four minutes remaining in the period. Bentley would never trail again for the rest of the contest, heading into the fourth ahead 55-52.
Bentley began the fourth quarter with eight unanswered points to go ahead 63-52, their largest lead of the night. The Setters would continue to fight back, narrowing the gap down to three points on two separate occasions, but the clock was working against Pace as time began to dwindle down. A jumper by Becca Musgrove with 1:48 left on the clock put the Falcons up 70-65, and Pace would be unable to complete the upset, falling to Bentley by the 72-66 final.
Up Next
The Setters will be back at home on Wednesday to close out their nine-game streak of NE10 matchups. Pace welcomes American International College to the Goldstein Fitness Center at 5:30 p.m. for LGBTQ Pride Hoops Night.
