PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – The Pace University men's basketball team begins its journey for the NCAA Division II Championship tomorrow, as the Setters, the No. 5 seed in the East Region, take on fourth-seeded University of New Haven on March 11 at 7:30 p.m.

The eight-team regional will be hosted by Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H.

HOW WE GOT HERE
The Setters had a 20-10 record on the season, recording back-to-back 20-win seasons for just the second time in program history, the last time being in the 1991-92 season. This is the first time the team has ever made the NCAA Tournament in consecutive seasons.

Pace posted an 11-9 record in the NE10, earning the No. 7 seed in the NE10 Conference Championship. They defeated No. 10 Adelphi University 72-51 in the first round of the tournament before falling in the conference quarterfinals to eventual champion Saint Anselm 78-70.

THE POWELLS
The Powell twins were key contributors for the Setters this season, as the seniors finished the year as the top two scorers on the team. Both also finished in the top four on the team in rebounds, assists, steals and blocks.

Bryan Powell (Middletown, N.Y./Canterbury School) earned a spot on the NE10 All-Conference Second-Team, while Brandon Powell (Middletown, N.Y./Pine Bush / FDU) was named Third-Team All-Conference.

Brandon led the team with 16.3 points per game and pulled down 5.1 rebounds per game. Bryan averaged 14.5 points and 4.8 rebounds, while shooting a stellar 51.8 percent from the field and 43.9 percent from three.

KEY TRANSFER
Junior Lyron Bennett (Boston, Mass./Tech Boston / Southern Connecticut State) has been a huge addition for Pace this season, as the point guard has played a major role on the offensive side of the ball. He averaged 10.1 points per game, while finishing second in the NE10 with 4.6 assists per game.

He was on the court more than any Setters player this season, averaging a team-high and conference-high 38.4 minutes played per game while participating in all 30 contests.

DEFENSE
The Setters were one of the toughest teams to play against in the NE10 this year, mainly due to their strength on the defensive side of the ball. Pace finished in the top-5 of the conference in several defensive categories this season, including:

• Scoring defense (3^rd)
• Field goal percentage against (3^rd)
• Rebounding (5^th)
• Rebounding margin (5^th)
• Blocked shots (5^th)
• Steals (4^th)

THE CHARGERS
The Setters and Chargers faced off once this season, with New Haven emerging victorious in a 56-50 home win over Pace.

The Chargers put up an identical 20-10 record, but had two more wins in the NE10, earning the No. 4 seed in the Conference Championship with a 13-7 NE10 record. New Haven defeated No. 1 seed Southern New Hampshire University in the conference semifinals before ultimately falling to Saint Anselm in the championship game.

Key for the Chargers this year has been graduate student Quashawn Lane. The Trenton, N.J. native earned NE10 First-Team All-Conference honors, and was recently named to the D2CCA All-East Region Second Team.

He led the Chargers with 15.0 points per game this year, shooting 52.7 percent from the field. Lane also leads his team in assists and steals on the year, putting together a huge season on both sides of the ball.

THE BRACKET
Five of the eight spots in the NCAA East Regional bracket belong to NE10 teams, with Pace being joined by Bentley University, New Haven, Saint Anselm and Southern New Hampshire.

Meanwhile, Caldwell University and Dominican University represent the CACC, while Saint Thomas Aquinas College is representing the ECC.

IMPORTANT REGIONAL LINKS
Live Video
Live Stats
Championship Central
Tickets