SETTERS COME BACK, HOLD OFF MERRIMACK,
85-81
PLEASANTVILLE, NY – The Pace University men’s
basketball team defeated Merrimack College, 85-81, in a
Northeast-10 Conference match-up at the Goldstein Fitness Center on
the Pleasantville campus of Pace University. Pace improves to
11-10 overall and 8-8 in the NE-10 while Merrimack drops to 9-11
overall and 7-8 in conference play.
Three Pace players finished with double-doubles, led by
Oneil Morgan’s (Kingston, Jamaica/Principal
Excelsior) 17 points and 14 rebounds, as well as three
blocks. Morgan had a huge second half for Pace, scoring 13
points and grabbing seven rebounds in the second frame.
Neal Wellington (Wheaton, MD/Good Counsel) also
had a solid second have, with six points and nine assists combining
for a total of 21 points and 10 assists on the game. Chaka
Lightburn (Belize City, Belize/ St. John’s
College) finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds while
Gibraltar White (Gautier, MS/Gautier) finished
with 24 points, including 20 points in the 2nd half on
5-of-10 shooting from long range.
Pace trailed at halftime, 36-30, after shooting just 27.3% (9-33)
from the floor, including 15.4% (2-13) from long range in the first
half. Pace trailed for most of the first half before a
15-to-3 run over a six minute span capped by a Mike
Rossetti (Lake Ronkonkoma, NY/ Centereach)
3-pointer to give Pace a 30-26 lead. Merrimack’s Bobby
Murgo (Watertown, MA/ Bridgeton Academy) hit a pair of 3-pointers
in the Warrior’s 8-to-0 run to close out the half.
Pace would retake the lead at the 16:08 mark of 2nd half
after Randy Wilson (Rye, NY/Rye) and White each
dropped in six points in a 15-to-6 run to open the second
half. Pace would hold the lead until the 7:55 mark when Bruno
Zanotti (Asuncion, Paraguay/ Andover) converted a lay-up and the
ensuing free throw after a foul to tie the game at 62-62.
After a pair of free throws by Morgan and a layup by
Merrimack’s Kenny Jones (Norwich, CT/ Norwich Free Academy),
the score was again knotted at 64-64. Pace would use an
18-to-6 run to give them their biggest lead of the second half,
82-70 with 1:38 on the clock. Merrimack threatened with an 11-to-3
run, with six points each coming from Murgo and Jones, but
White’s free throws with :15 seconds remaining gave Pace a
four-point lead and the game.
For Merrimack, Murgo totaled 21 points and seven assists while
Jones dropped in 18 points while hitting on 4-of-7 from 3-point
range. Kent Leahy (Braintree, MA/Bridgeton Academy) had 15 points
and seven rebounds while Zanotti totaled seven points, six assists
and 14 rebounds.
Pace returns to action when they travel to North Easton, MA on
Wednesday February 1st to take on the Skyhawks of
Stonehill College in a Northeast-10 Conference match-up slated for
7:30 p.m.