GARDEN CITY, N.Y.— Picking up their fourth consecutive win, the Pace University women's basketball team defeated Adelphi University on Saturday afternoon, 61-54. With the win, the Setters complete the season sweep of the Panthers and improve their record to 14-11 while moving to 10-7 against the Northeast-10 Conference.
Inside the Numbers
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Geena Rosalbo (Staten Island, NY/Curtis) and
Kristina Olikhver (Moscow, Russia/Saint Andrew's) led the Setters offense with 13 points each. Rosalbo shot 50 percent from the field on Saturday, including a pair of three-pointers. Olikhver added three deep balls to account for all of Pace's successful attempts from beyond the arc. The guard duo have now reached double figures in three of the last four contests.
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Jackie DelliSanti (Commack, NY/Commack) was the only other member of the Blue and Gold to reach double figures, scoring 11. The sophomore guard was three-of-eight from the field and five-of-six on free-throw attempts. DelliSanti is now averaging 10.9 points per contest.
*In addition to being amongst the leading playmakers for the offense, DelliSanti and Olikhver hauled in six rebounds each to lead the Setters on the glass. Nine different players contributed to Pace's 38 total rebounds for the day.
*The Setters' defense forced 20 Adelphi turnovers, including eight steals. Rosalbo led the effort with three takeaways.
*Adelphi, who entered the contest as the fourth highest scoring offense in the NE10 this season, was held to 10 points below their season average. The Setters limited the Panthers to a 35.9 shooting percentage from the field and a 17.6 percent mark from three-point land.
How it Happened
It was a story of runs in the first quarter, as Pace opened up the game with the first points of the contest to claim an early 4-0 lead. Adelphi responded with five unanswered points of their own, but the Blue and Gold offense did not hesitate to respond. The Setters went on an 11-0 run, beginning with four free throws from Rosalbo and
Alexandra Monteleone (Cold Spring, NY/Haldane). Pace would build their lead to 15-5 with three minutes left in the quarter. The Panthers would score six of the final eight points of the quarter, but Pace would hold the 17-11 lead heading into the second.
Defense would control play to start the second quarter. A lone Adelphi basket accounted for the only two points scored in the first three minutes, while the teams would score six combined points with six minutes left to move the Pace lead to 19-15. The Setters would crack the Panthers defense for six unanswered points over the next two and a half minutes to extend their advantage up to 25-15. A pair of threes from the hands of Rosalbo and Olikhver rounded out the Pace scoring for the half, sending the Blue and Gold into the locker room up 31-21.
Adelphi opened the third with momentum, outscoring the Setters 9-4 over the first four minutes of the quarter to pull within five, 35-30.
Italee Brown-Smikle (Farmingdale, NY/Farmingdale) put an end to the Panther run with a basket at the six-minute mark, the only score by either team for the following two minutes. Adelphi would claw back to within a single possession with three minutes left, but Olikhver continued to hit clutch three pointers to regain breathing room for the Setters with less than two minutes remaining, 40-34. A basket from both teams to close out the quarter sent Pace into the fourth up 42-36.
A Rosalbo three to begin the quarter set the tone for the final 10 minutes of play, quickly putting the Setters ahead 45-36. After Adelphi rattled off four points, a
Lauren Schetter (Beacon, NY/Beacon High School) three-point sequence and a basket from
Gabriella Rubin (Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic) advanced the Pace lead back up to double digits with six and a half minutes remaining, 50-40. The Panthers would pull within six on two separate occasions, but the Blue and Gold offense reclaimed the ten-point lead moments later both times. Adelphi would once again narrow the Pace lead down to six with under a minute to play, but late free throws by the Setters secured the 61-54 final.
Up Next
The Setters will play their final road game of the regular season on Wednesday. Pace travels to Syracuse to take on NE10 opponent Le Moyne College at 5 p.m.
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