MANCHESTER, N.H. – Pace University Men's Basketball faced a challenging road test on Saturday afternoon, as Saint Anselm College built an early cushion and maintained control in a 57–41 Northeast 10 (NE10) Conference decision. The Setters move to 8–5 overall and 3–2 in conference play following the setback inside Stoutenburgh Gymnasium.
Pace opened the game with early energy, as
Paxton Davidson knocked down a three-pointer to give the Setters a brief edge in the opening minutes over the Hawks. St. Anselm responded quickly, however, using perimeter shooting and second-chance opportunities to swing momentum. Pace worked to settle in defensively, but the hosts steadily extended the lead as scoring became difficult for the Setters. Despite continued effort on the glass and defensive pressure, Pace trailed 31–18 at the break.
The Setters continued to compete coming out of halftime, looking to chip away at the deficit. Davidson connected from long range early in the second half to provide a spark, and
Saif Saleh added points at the free-throw line as Pace briefly cut the margin to single digits. Each run, though, was answered by timely shooting from St. Anselm, keeping Pace from fully closing the gap.
Down the stretch, Pace continued to battle on both ends, forcing turnovers and generating second-chance looks, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome. The Hawks went on to close the game to secure the 16-point win.
Davidson led Pace once again with 18 points, shooting 4-of-9 from three-point range in another stellar shooting display. Through 14 games, the Mount Juliet, TN. native has torched the twine behind the arc as he leads the conference in three point field goal percentage (47.9%) while ranking third in total made threes (34).
Saleh finished with five points and four rebounds, while
Jaden Kealey,
Jabari Nurse, and
Nathan Robertson contributed on the boards as the Setters totaled 32 rebounds and 10 second-chance points.
The Blue and Gold jump back on the court Tuesday evening, traveling to Adelphi University for a 5:30 p.m. NE10 tip-off.
