AMHERST, NY - #4 Pace Men's Basketball appeared in the NCAA East Regional Tournament for the first round of games Saturday evening versus #5 St. Thomas Aquinas College in Amherst, NY.

The Setters trailed for majority of the game and battled to surpass their opposer's lead, but with the Spartans posting 24 second chance points while forcing 15 Blue and Gold turnovers, the Spartans upset the Setters in a 79-72 defeat.

Here's What Happened:

• Josh Hopson opened the scoring feat for both teams with a bucket in the opening seconds of the contest. After two consecutive buckets by the Spartans, they secured their first advantage of the game 4-2. Jaden Kealey would equalize the score at five, however, a 15-5 Spartan run forced the Blue and Gold in a 10-point deficit, 20-10, midway through the first.
• Darren Fergus tallied four points to get the offensive momentum going for the squad, 20-14, followed by a bucket from behind the arc by Jayden James in an attempt to keep the Setters within reach of the visitor lead. Kealey made it a two-point game with markers from the charity stripe, 38-35, and Trey Boyd III later made it a three-point deficit with a long-range bucket to head into halftime trailing, 40-37.
• Boyd III maintained his shooting rhythm with a second-half opener three and put the Setters within one, 41-40. Another Spartan run (6-0) edged the Setters for the largest STAC lead in the second (8), 48-40.
• Despite Boyd III's hot hand, the Setters continued to battle in hopes of advancing to Sunday's contest, but the Spartans came out victorious, 79-72, ending the Blue and Gold's 2024-25 season.

Box Score Insights:

• The Setters featured three scorers in double-digit points: Boyd III (16), Kealey (15), and Fergus (14).
• Boyd III and Kealey grabbed 5 rebounds apiece while Jamaal Waters led the team with 10 rebounds while adding six points and a steal of his own.
• Tray Alexander tallied 10 assists and eight points.
• As a unit, they shot 41% (26-63) from the field and recorded 26 points off the bench.

The Blue and Gold have put on a show throughout the 2024-25 campaign; from posting the best start to the regular season in program history (15-0), receiving the highest national ranking for the program (7), along with a first ever NE10 Championship appearance, it's a season for the record books.

Pace Men's Basketball capped off their year with a 24-8 record and 14-6 in the NE10.