PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – On Saturday afternoon, Pace University Men's Basketball fought possession-by-possession in the Northeast 10 Conference Championship First Round but came up short in a 54–48 decision to Saint Michael's College at the Goldstein Fitness Center. The Setters erased multiple deficits and remained within striking distance into the final minute before the Purple Knights converted at the free-throw line to seal the result.
The Purple Knights opened with an early push, building a 6–2 lead before
Jaden Kealey answered with back-to-back baskets in the paint to narrow the gap to 11–7.
Ethan Robertson later converted inside, and
Nathan Robertson knocked down a three-pointer that helped Pace draw even at 16–16 midway through the half.
The Purple Knights responded with a small run to go back in front 21–16, but the Setters steadied themselves.
Jayden James tipped in a miss to trim the margin to four, and
Paxton Davidson buried a three in the final minute to send Pace into halftime trailing just 25–24.
Kealey opened the second half with another strong finish inside to cut the deficit to 27–26, keeping momentum within reach. However, Saint Michael's used a 10–4 stretch to extend its advantage to 35–28. Kealey sparked a response with a putback and another interior finish to bring Pace within 35–30, but the visitors answered with consecutive baskets to stretch the lead to 41–30 midway through the period.
The Setters continued to battle to the very end.
Jabari Nurse converted in transition to trim the margin to 43–36, and Davidson added a jumper to keep it at a seven-point game. With under two minutes remaining, Nurse knocked down a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 51–45, and he added another triple in the final seconds to make it 53–48. Pace forced a final possession, but Saint Michael's secured the rebound and closed out the five-point victory.
Nurse led the Setters with 16 points and 12 rebounds, recording a double-double in the effort. Kealey added 13 points and nine boards, while Davidson contributed five points and four assists.
Pace held a 35–39 rebounding effort and generated 11 second chance points, but shot 34.5 percent from the field in the contest.
Saturday's quarterfinal marked the end of the 2025–26 campaign for the Setters, who earned the No. 3 seed in the Northeast 10 Championship and secured a home postseason game for the second consecutive season.
