PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – After battling back from an eight-point halftime deficit and claiming a late fourth quarter lead, the Pace University women's basketball team was edged in the final minutes by Southern Connecticut State University on Saturday afternoon, 53-50. The loss snaps a five-game win streak by the Setters and drops Pace's record to 15-12 on the season, and 11-8 in conference play.

Inside the Numbers
*Unsurprising in a matchup between two of the premier defenses in the NE10, scoring came at a premium on Saturday. Lauren Schetter (Beacon, NY/Beacon High School) was the only member of the Blue and Gold to reach double figures, leading all scorers with 16 points. Schetter shot six-of-nine from the floor.

*Jackie DelliSanti (Commack, NY/Commack) finished second in points for the Setters on the night, putting in nine. Kristina Olikhver (Moscow, Russia/Saint Andrew's) and Geena Rosalbo (Staten Island, NY/Curtis) rounded out Pace's attack with six points apiece.

*The Setters won the battle of the boards, outrebounding the Owls by a 40-33 margin. DelliSanti led the effort with nine rebounds. All 10 Setters that saw playing time on Saturday recorded a rebound.

*Entering the night shooting 33 percent from beyond the arc, the Southern Connecticut deep threat was cut off by the Setters' defense. The Owls were just four-of-25 on three point attempts for a 16-percent success rate.

*The Setters were also unable to generate success with the long ball, converting on just two of their 18 attempts. The .111 shooting mark from three is the third lowest by the Blue and Gold this season.

*The Owls turned the ball over just five times in the contest, the fewest turnovers the Setters have recorded this season.

How it Happened
Pace took claim to an early 4-0 lead in the first quarter following opening baskets by Alexandra Monteleone (Cold Spring, NY/Haldane) and Schetter. The Owls responded quickly with an 11-0 run to take an 11-4 lead with under five minutes remaining in the opener. SCSU would not trail again until the fourth quarter. Pace finished the quarter on a 6-2 run to head into the second trailing 13-10.

Despite Pace claiming slight momentum to end the first, the Owls were in control to begin the second quarter. SCSU rattled off six consecutive points to begin the frame, and responded to Pace's first bucket of the quarter with another five unanswered points. The Owls led 24-12 before Gabriella Rubin (Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic) sank the Setters' first successful shot from three to put Pace back to within single digits. The Setters would continue to inch closer, cutting the Owl lead down to 29-21 at the half.

The Setters opened the second half by quickly narrowing the SCSU lead down to four, but the Owls continued to string together runs of unanswered points to regain breathing room up 34-25 with just under six minutes on the clock. Pace would close the gap back down to four on two separate occasions, including in the final minute of the period. The Blue and Gold outscored the Owls 15-12 in the quarter to head into the fourth down 41-36.

Pace saved its best shooting effort for the final 10 minutes, shooting 46.2 percent from the floor in the fourth quarter. After SCSU scored the first points of the period, Pace outscored the Owls 9-2 over the following four-and-a-half minutes to knot the score back even at 45-45. While SCSU was able to retake the lead with a layup and a free throw, baskets from Monteleone and Schetter gave Pace their first lead in more than 25 minutes of play at the 2:38 mark, 49-48. However, the Owls remained focused on the free-throw line, connecting on five of their six attempts from the charity stripe to close out the contest. Monteleone's three-point attempt at the buzzer missed the mark, and SCSU escaped with the three-point victory.

Up Next
The Setters close out the regular season on Tuesday night. Pace will honor their senior members on Senior Night as the Blue and Gold host The College of Saint Rose at 5:30 p.m.