Men's Basketball

SETTERS SQUANDER HALFTIME LEAD, LOSE 3RD STRAIGHT, 69-68

PLEASANTVILLE, NY – The Pace University men’s basketball team lost to Franklin Pierce College, 69-68, in a Northeast-10 Conference match-up on the Pleasantville campus of Pace University.  Pace loses their 3^rd consecutive game dropping them to 8-9 overall and 5-7 in the Northeast-10 Conference.  Franklin Pierce improves to 9-7 overall and 6-5 in conference play.

The Setters led at halftime, 34-31, behind a 10-point first half from Desmond Quincy-Jones (Rye, NY/Rye).  Chaka Lightburn (Belize City, Belize/ St. John’s College) grabbed six boards while hitting 5-of-5 from the free throw line enroute to a seven point half.  Pace never led by more than five points in the first 10 minutes of the game, but used an 11-to-0 run starting at the 8:42 mark that put the Setters on top, 30-20, with six minutes to play.  Pierce would respond with am 11-to-4 run to close out the half at 34-31.

Both teams traded baskets until the 14:39 mark when the Ravens used a 15-to-4 run to jump ahead, 55-44 with 11 minutes to play, the largest lead of the night for either side.  Pace would respond with a 14-to-3 run that would tie the game with just over six minutes to play.  After a pair of free throws by Sean Mayo (Saco, ME/Thornton Academy) and a twisting lay-up by Pierre Sully (Jamaica Plain, MA/North Cambridge), Franklin Pierce would go up three point with 5:46 to play, and would lead for the remainder of the game. 

With Pace trailing, 61-60, with 5:32 on the game clock, the Setters would match the Ravens down the stretch, 8-to-8, with freshman Randy Wilson (Peekskill, NY/ Peekskill) scoring six points towards the end.  The Setters had a chance to win the game down 69-68 with nine seconds to play.  Neal Wellington (Wheaton, MD/ Good Counsel) pushed the ball up court but lost control at midcourt with just under five seconds remaining.  Gibraltar White’s (Gautier, MS/ Gautier) desperation 3-pointer in double coverage from 25-feet out fell short as time expired.

For Pace, Wellington had 16 points and 10 assists while Lightburn finished with 16 points and nine boards.  Wilson would totaled 10 points, hitting on 4-of-6 from the floor.  Quincy-Jones had 12 points, six rebounds and three steals while hitting 5-of-7 from the floor, including 2-of-3 from long range.

For Franklin Pierce, Sully finished with a game-high 20 points while also snagging eight rebounds.  Timothy Munch (Blauvelt, NY/ Storm King Prep) has 16 points and five rebounds while Mayo finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

Pace returns to action when they travel to Worcester, MA to take on the Greyhounds of Assumption College in a Northeast-10 Conference match-up set for 3:30 p.m.