PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – Following a half-court shot from sophomore
Austin Gilbertson (Etters, PA/Trinity) that sent the game into overtime, the Pace University men's basketball team was defeated in extra time by Southern Connecticut State, 86-82. The loss snaps a six-game winning streak for the Setters, and shifts their record to 7-3 this season (4-2 in the NE10).
Gilbertson's heave, which banked in at the buzzer, followed a three-pointer from Ulyen Coleman that provided the Owls with a 74-71 with just 0.4 seconds on the clock.
Coleman also knocked in a long ball with 39 ticks remaining to give SCSU a 71-69 lead, which was quickly answered with a bucket from
Peyton Wejnert (Point Pleasant, NJ/Southern Regional) with 19 seconds left.
In overtime, the Owls jumped out to a quick five-point lead thanks to back-to-back three-pointers from Coleman and CJ Seaforth.The Setters would cut the edge to just two points following a three-point play from Wejnert with 1:27 remaining, but another three-pointer from Isaiah McLeod with less than a minute left was the final difference maker.
Pace and SCSU, who will meet again in February, played as even a contest as you will see on Saturday. The back-and-forth battle featured nine lead changes and eight ties across 45 minutes of action.
The Setters were once again led by the quartet of
Peyton Wejnert (Point Pleasant, NJ/Southern Regional),
Brandon Jacobs (Cambria Heights, NY/Long Island Lutheran),
Greg Poleon (Brooklyn, NY/Abraham Lincoln / Coffeyville CC), and Gilbertson—who combined for 67 of Pace's 82 points. Wejnert led the way with an 18-point, 10-rebound effort, which marked his third double-double of the season.
Jacobs nearly matched Wejnert with a double-double of his own, finishing the day with 17 points and nine assists. Poleon also poured in 17 points, while Gilbertson added 15.
Ray Montilus (Union, NJ/Pope John XXII) and
Luke McLaughlin (Blauvelt, NY/Tappan Zee) also chipped in with several key buckets on Saturday, combining for 15 points off the bench.
Pace held the largest lead of the tightly-contested game near the end of the first half when they built up an eight-point edge. Back-to-back buckets from Jacobs capped off a 12-2 run for the Setters, and provided the home team with a 37-29 lead. The Blue and Gold would go on to take a 39-32 advantage into the break.
The Owls used the long ball to make their comeback after halftime. SCSU went 7-for-14 from beyond the arc in the second half before going a perfect 3-for-3 in overtime.
SCSU not only erased the halftime deficit, but they went on to take a 56-51 lead mid-way through the second half. The Setters responded with a quick six-point spurt of their own to re-take a one-point lead with 9:15 left. From there, the game went right down to the wire, with neither team earning a separation of more than three points.
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Up Next
The Setters will be back at home on Tuesday night when they host NYIT inside the Goldstein Fitness Center at 7 p.m.
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