QUEENS, N.Y. – On homecoming weekend for St. John's University, the Pace University men's basketball stepped into Carnesecca Arena for an exhibition against a team with a lot of hype surrounding them entering the 2023-2024 season, under the leadership of newly-named hall-of-fame coach Rick Pitino, and handed the Red Storm a 63-59 defeat.
Pace handed the Red Storm their first exhibition loss since 2015, when they lost to fellow NCAA Division II member St. Thomas Aquinas College, 90-58, under head coach Chris Mullin.
Pace grabbed an early lead and never let it go, with St. John's never leading in the contest.
Bryan Powell opened the game with a jumper, and after a pair of Daniss Jenkins free throws,
Tray Alexander converted a layup in transition for a 4-2 lead, the last tie in the game. At the first media timout, Pace was ahead 8-3.
Throughout the first half, the Red Storm would be within one or two points, but the Setter offense would consistently deliver a basket, or the defense would get a stop to preserve the lead.
Jamaal Waters converted a layup as time expired in the first half to send the Blue and Gold into the locker room with a five-point lead, 39-34.
Powell got the Setters off to the start they wanted, and connected for a basket on the first offensive trip out of the break. The Red Strom responded with a Brady Dunlap triple to cut the lead to four, 41-37, but Powell came back down the floor and drilled a triple in return to get the lead right back up to seven. A
Sean Bresnan triple got the lead into double digits for the first time, 47-37, with just over 17 minutes left in the game.
Another Powell triple and an Alexander layup pushed the lead to 15, the largest it would be. By the time the under-12 media timeout, the lead was 54-40 Pace. A pair of Red Strom free throws with 12:02 on the clock would be the final points scored by either side for over five minutes until a Chris Ledum free throw with 6:17 left broke the scoring drought.
Pace owned a 10-point lead with 1:27 left when St. John's tried to make a final push. A pair of Zuby Ejiofor free throws kickstarted the final push, and a Naheim Alleyne and-one forced Pace into a timeout as Powell had fouled out on the play. After making the free throw, the lead was down to five, but on the ensuing trip down the floor,
Chaz Harvey penetrated and finished through hard contact to get the Setters a much-needed basket, 63-56. Alleyne drilled a triple in transition right after, but it would be too little too late.
The Setters outrebounded the Red Storm 54-43 while scoring 36 points in the paint compared to the mere 10 for the home team. The Pace defense came to play, holding the Red Storm to 25.8 percent from the field, 17-66, while the Setters shot 40.9 percent.
Powell finished with 22 points and 10 boards. Waters posted a 14-point and 10-rebound double-double. Harvey contributed 11 points, and Bresnan added five points and 12 rebounds.
As for the Red Storm, Alleyne finished with 22 points, while Ledlum provided seven points and 12 boards.
The 2023-2024 regular season for Pace begins on Nov. 10 against Queens College.
