PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. -- Despite fourth-quarter efforts by Pace women's basketball, the Setters fell short to American International College, 49-45 on Tuesday night at the Goldstein Fitness Center. It was the first loss for Pace since Dec. 6. Sophomore center
Tower Lorde (Saint Michael, Barbados/The St. Michael School) had a near double-double with eight points and a game-best 11 rebounds. Grad guard
Lauren Hackett (Commack, N.Y./St. Anthony's) led the Setters with nine points.
Shooting percentage was the difference maker as the Setters (7-8, 4-5 NE10) shot 25.9 percent for the game; while AIC shot 40.4 percent.
AIC (8-8, 5-4) led 16-9 in the the first period and was ahead 31-25 at the half.
Pace made a push in the fourth quarter and with 6:21 to go, Pace had cut the AIC lead to one point, 42-41 after two made free throws by junior guard
Shanice Sinclair (Mount Vernon, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman). After AIC's Kayla Robinson scored on a jumper right outside the paint, Lorde answered back for Pace with a made layup to keep the margin one point, 44-43, with 4:31 on the clock.
The Setters had four missed field goal opportunities over the next two minutes after AIC went back up by three, 46-43, on a pair of Robinson free throws.
Another free throw by the Yellow Jackets gave them a four-point advantage with 38 seconds on the clock, 47-44.
Pace answered with a
Katumina Mansaray (Ontario, Canada/Cardinal Newman Secondary School/Tilton School) driving layup to bring the Setters back within one possession with under 30 seconds remaining. After the layup, both the Setters and the Yellow Jackets called timeouts setting up the final moments. Hackett fouled AIC's Tia-Marie Martinez. With AIC in the bonus, Martinez made both shots to go up by four, 49-45.
The Setters called another full timeout with 18 seconds left, but both 3-point attempts by Pace in the final possession missed.
Robinson led the Yellow Jackets with 16 points. Taylor Tomlinson had 15 points with nine rebound and Martinez had 11 points.
Up next, Pace will travel to Assumption on Saturday, Jan. 14 for a 1:30 p.m. tip. The Setters are back home on Monday, Jan. 16 against Saint Thomas Aquinas College for a 3 p.m. game on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
