MEN'S BASKETBALL FALLS TO MINNESOTA
STATE, 81-79
Ryan Williams scores Pepsi Tip-Off high 48 points
MANKATO, MN - The Pace University men's basketball team fell to the host of the 2007 Pepsi Tip-Off, Minnesota State University - Mankato 81-79, on Saturday night. The Setters are 0-2 on the season, while the Mavericks are 2-0. Sporting News Preseason All-American Honorable Mention senior Ryan Williams (Centreville, VA/Paul VI) scored the most points in the two-game Pepsi Tip-Off with 48 (20 points vs. Minnesota-Duluth/28 points vs. Minnesota State).
The game was a tight battle that featured 10 ties and 13 lead changes. Pace's largest lead of the game came with 6:10 remaining in the first half as Carlos Howard's (Fort Washington, MD/Gonzaga College High) three pointer gave the Setters a 10-point lead, 35-25. After the Mavericks tied the game for the fourth time at 25 with 8:59 left in the half, the Setters used a 10-0 run led by Williams' seven points. Williams would finish the half with 16 points. The lead would not last long as Minnesota State closed out the half on a 12-2 run to head into the break tied at 37. Jadee Jones led the Mavericks with 14 first half points.
The second half featured much of the same as each team battled for control. Desmond Quincy-Jones' (Rye, NY/Rye) three pointer with 11:10 remaining gave the Setters a seven point lead, 60-53, but the Mavericks would once again show their resiliency tying the game for the eighth time at 62 with 8:56 left in the game. The Setters would try to pull away one more time on a layup from Gibraltar White (Gautier, MS/Gautier) at the 2:04 mark, which gave Pace a four-point lead, 79-75. However, that would be the Setters final bucket of the game as Minnesota-State scored the final six points for the 81-79 victory.
Williams finished with a game-high 28 points, going 9-for-19 from the field including 5-for-11 from beyond the arc and 5-for-6 from the line. Laurence McGhee (Linden, NJ/Linden) chipped in with 13 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Quincy-Jones ended the night with 11 points, six rebounds and four assists. Maurice Douglas (Waldorf, MD/South Maryland Christian) led all Setters in rebounding with eight.
Jadee Jones led Minnesota State with a team-high 25 points shooting 9-for-18 from the field, including going 7-for-12 from three. Atila Santos finished the game with a double double with 16 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Curt Greeley was the third Maverick in double figure scoring with 15 points.
As a team, Pace shot 39.7% (29-for-73) from the field, including 31.3% (10-for-32) from three, while Minnesota State shot 41.8% (28-for-67) from the field, including 37.0% (10-for-27) from three. Free throws would be the difference as Pace shot 64.7% (11-for-17) from the charity stripe, compared to Minnesota State's 78.9% (15-for-19) from the stripe.
The Setters will be back in action tomorrow, Tuesday, November
20th as Pace opens the conference slate of their 2007-08
schedule against Northeast-10 Conference foe American International
College. The home opener is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start. The
women's team will also be in action against American International
with their game slated for a 5:30 p.m. tip.