PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – Fueled by their strongest statistical defensive effort of the season, the Pace University men's basketball team defeated American International College on Wednesday night by a 66-61 margin.

Inside the Numbers
*For the second time this season, Pace had a pair of players record double-doubles. Sophomore Peyton Wejnert (Point Pleasant, NJ/Southern Regional) led the way with 17 points and a career-high 13 rebounds while freshman Kevin Smith (New Haven, CT/South Kent) tallied 12 points and a season-high 10 boards.  

*Freshman Austin Gilbertson (Etters, PA/Trinity) provided the Setters a third double-digit effort with 16 points. He added a pair of assists, to go along with three rebounds.

*Classmate Brandon Jacobs (Cambria Heights, NY/Long Island Lutheran) was also a key contributor for the Blue and Gold, finishing the night with nine points, three assists, two steals and a block. Greg Poleon (Brooklyn, NY/Abraham Lincoln / Coffeyville CC) chipped in six points, 10 rebounds, two assists and a block.

*Pace's 30 attempts (18-of-30) from the free-throw line marked their second-highest total of the season.

*Pace's defense held AIC to just 31.3 percent shooting from the floor, including a 7-of-35 clip from beyond the arc (20 percent). It was the Setters' best defensive effort of the season in terms of opponents' field-goal and three-point percentage.

How it Happened
Pace started strong in a low-scoring first half. The Setters hopped out of the locker room on a 10-2 run, fueled by five different scorers. Pace continued to stay on top for much of the opening 20 minutes as a free-throw from Jacobs put the Setters up 17-10 with less than eight to go. The Blue and Gold's final field goal of the first half came on a three-pointer from Jacobs that yielded a 22-16 lead. From there, AIC scored the final six points before halftime, as Pace was held scoreless over the final three minutes and 47 seconds.

AIC continued its momentum into the second half. The visitors put together a 5-1 run over the first four minutes after halftime to seize a 27-23 lead. After re-taking the lead at 41-39 on a three-ball from Gilbertson, Pace started to gain some separation. The Setters strung together a 12-0 stretch to gain their biggest advantage of the day at 54-51 with less than five minutes to go. A pair of layups from Wejnert followed by back-to-back three-pointers from Gilbertson and Smith capped off the run.

Pace's 12-point lead would end up being enough room to operate to hold off AIC. The Yellow Jackets cut the edge to as low as three with less than 30 seconds remaining, but Pace knocked in their free throws down the stretch to gain the five-point win.

Up Next
The Setters will have the weekend before heading to the University of New Haven next Tuesday for a matchup against the Chargers at 7:30 p.m.