PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. -- The Pace men's basketball team gave fans at the Goldstein Fitness Center some Tuesday night excitement as the Setters held on for an 85-84 double overtime victory over the visiting AIC Yellow Jackets in a key Northeast-10 Conference matchup.

The Setters entered the Top-25 national rankings earlier that afternoon, clocking in at No. 25 in the D2SIDA poll and receiving votes in the NABC coaches' poll. Pace has won its last eight games, with three of the last four going into overtime. The win advances the Setters to 14-3, 6-3 in the NE10 and 8-1 at home. Pace has not lost a game since Dec. 8. 

Four Setters contributed in double-figure scoring efforts led by 20-point performances from grad forward Marc Dadika (Saddle Brook, N.J./Saint Mary's Rutherford / FDU) and senior Brandon Powell (Middletown, N.Y./Pine Bush / FDU). Dadika had the best point-effort of his Pace career thus far with 24 points.  The Saddle Brook, N.J. native was shooting 100 percent from the field until the extra periods. He finished the game 10-for-12 (.833) while adding a Setter career-best 13 rebounds for a double-double. Dadika, a usual starter, had suffered an injury during the Bentley game on Dec. 6, has been slowly building back up playing time. His 39 minutes of action was a season-best, and the most he has played since Bentley. He also added four blocks.

Brandon Powell (Middletown, N.Y./Pine Bush / FDU) scored 23 points, shooting 8-for-10 from the foul line. The 23-point performance was a season-best for the guard. 

Junior guard Lyron Bennett (Boston, Mass./Tech Boston / Southern Connecticut State) added 16 points to go along with a season-high nine assists and four rebounds. Grad forward Bryan Powell (Middletown, N.Y./Canterbury School) went 7-for-14 (.500) from the field and 3-for-4 from the foul line for 17 points while also adding four assists and five rounds and a block. Freshman Jabari Nurse (Randolph, Mass./New Hampton Prep) pulled down a season-high 10 rebounds. 

As a team, the Setters shot 41.9 percent from the floor, 75.0 percent from the foul line (18-for-24). The 85 points were a season high, as were the 31 shots made (31-for-74). Twenty-two assists made by the Setters also stands as a season-best. 

Evenly matched shooting-wise, AIC shot 41.7 percent for the game, 15-for-22 from the foul line (68.2 percent). AIC falls to 4-13 on the season, 2-7 in NE10 action. 

The contest included 20 lead changes and 19 ties. 

AIC led by four at the half, 34-30, and extended their lead to seven points a little under four minutes into the second period, 39-32 (16:45). The Setters climbed back tying the game at 46-46 with 11:42 left in regulation. Brandon Powell (Middletown, N.Y./Pine Bush / FDU) gave Pace its first lead of the half with two made free throws, 47-46, then repeated with two more at the line to take a 49-46 lead for the Blue and Gold with 11:03 on the clock. 

The tide turned in favor of AIC once again as the Yellow Jackets went on a 9-2 run to take a 55-51 lead over the Setters with 8:07 on the board. Pace came back to tie it up at 55-55 after a Brandon Powell (Middletown, N.Y./Pine Bush / FDU) layup with 6:38 remaining. From there, the lead would go back and forth between the two teams for the remainder of regulation. down two, 69-67 with :38 seconds left, Dadika tied the game on a fastbreak layup assisted by Bennett led off by a Nurse rebound from a missed AIC opportunity. 

In the final seconds of regulation, AIC missed two field goal opportunities and two free throws for the win. 

In the first overtime, Pace went up by five, 74-69, as Dadika scored on a second chance layup in the paint, assisted by Bennett. AIC rallied to take the lead, 75-74, with just over a minute remaining. Dadika missed the first of two free throw attempts, but made the second to send the contest to its second overtime. Both AIC and Pace missed opportunities to score in the final 38 seconds. 

AIC took advantage in the second overtime, going up 80-78 with 1:36 on the clock. Similar to the end of regulation, Pace battled back to gain control, 83-80, as Dadika scored his 24th point of the game on a layup made off an AIC turnover. The Yellow Jackets cut it to one, 83-32, at :29 seconds. Pace made 2-for-4 free throws down the stretch to go up three, 85-52, which was enough to stave off an AIC fastbreak layup in the paint with milliseconds left in the game. 

Jack Hall led with 22 points for the Yellow Jackets. Aguibou Balde had 17 points, while Jalen Jordan marked a double-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds. Justice Ellison also had 14 points. Jordan also added seven assists.

The No. 25 Setters will return to the road this weekend, playing at Assumption University on Saturday, Jan. 14 in the second game of a women's and men's NE10 doubleheader Saturday. Tip time for the men's basketball team is approximately 3:30 p.m.