PACE LOSES TOUGH MATCH-UP TO SAINT ROSE, 79-69
ALBANY – The College of Saint Rose
remained perfect at home on the year and snapped a two-game skid
with a 79-69 victory versus Northeast-10 Conference rival Pace
University at the Daniel P. Nolan Gymnasium tonight. The Golden
Knights (10-4/6-3 NE-10) knocked down a season-high 12, 3-pointers
and held the league’s second highest scoring team to 10
points below its season scoring average.
Senior guard Brad Shove (Pittsfield,
MA/Pittsfield) ascended the 20 point plateau for the
fourth time this year with a game-high 25 points for the Golden
Knights. Junior forward Michael Epperson (Bronx,
NY/Monsignor Scanlan) scored 14 of his 18 points in the
second half and also hauled in seven rebounds while sophomore guard
Steve Dagostino (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland)
added a dozen points and five assists. Senior guard
Terrance King (Hempstead, NY/Hempstead) handed out
10 assists, one shy of his career-high, and came up with three
steals.
For Pace (7-6/4-4 NE-10), sophomore guard Ryan Williams (Centerville, VA/Paul VI) finished with 23 points while sophomore forward Desmond Quincy-Jones (Rye, NY/Rye) tallied a “double-double” via 13 points and a dozen boards. Sophomore guard Gibraltar White (Gautier, MS/Gautier) added 11 points in 26 minutes off the bench. Furthermore, senior guard Neil Wellington (Wheaton, MD/Good Counsel) handed out seven assists and thus became only the 11th player in Pace annals to record 300 (302) in a career.
Saint Rose put itself in control by forcing seven turnovers within a three-minute span that provided the catalyst for a 12-0 run with 5:50 remaining in the ballgame. The spurt turned a 61-59 lead into a 73-59 advantage with 2:48 to play.
Epperson ignited the jaunt with a jumper in the paint, Dagostino drained a trey, Epperson scored again inside, and Shove came up with a steal and converted a layup while being fouled. He then buried the ensuing free throw before junior forward Clayton Longmire (Rochester, NY/Gates-Chili) hit a jumper.
Saint Rose scored seven unanswered points throughout the final
3:50 of the first half to go in the locker room up seven, 39-32.
Epperson nailed a jumper that made it a 32-31 affair and the Golden
Knights never trailed again.
Saint Rose returns to action next Tuesday, January 10 with a NE-10
doubleheader at Southern Connecticut State in New Haven. Tip-off is
scheduled for 7:30 pm following the women’s game, which is
set to get underway at 5:30 pm. Meanwhile, Pace will host Southern
Connecticut State this Saturday.
Press release courtest of the College of Saint Rose Sports
Information