PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. - The Saint Michael's College men's basketball team used a 17-2 run to erase a 10-point deficit in the final eight minutes of a 69-68 win over Pace University on Wednesday in Northeast-10 Conference action in the Goldstein Fitness Center. The Setters were ranked fourth in this week's D2SIDA East Region Media Poll.
RECORDS
- Saint Michael's (9-10, 3-8 NE10), Pace (14-5, 6-5 NE10)
SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS
- Junior Romar Reid (Mount Vernon, N.Y./Woodstock Academy/Manhattan), career-high 22 points, 6 rebounds, 3 offensive rebounds, 3 assists, 7-for-13 field goals, 3-for-5 three-pointers, 5-for-5 free throws
- First-year Alan Brzezinski (Örebro, Sweden/Western Reserve Academy), 16 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 7-for-16 field goals
- First-year Darrel Yepdo (Dracut, Mass./Brooks School), 8 points, 6 assists, 3-for-5 field goals, 2-for-3 three-pointers
- Junior Joël Kabimba (Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo/Middleburg Academy/Bryant), 6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals
- Sophomore Jacob Duniver (Fredericksburg, Va./Woodstock Academy), 6 points, 2-for-3 three-pointers
- Sophomore Nahshon Battle (Scotch Plains, N.J./Woodstock Academy), 5 points, 4 rebounds
- Senior Dario Milojevic (Windsor, Ontario/Herman Academy/Mississippi Valley State), 3 blocks
OPPONENT LEADERS
- Senior Bryan Powell, 21 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 3-for-5 three-pointers
- Senior Brandon Powell, 16 points, 3 assists
GAME FACTS
- Pace was a 2022 NCAA East Regional Tournament semifinalist.
- Saint Michael's has won five of the past seven in its series with the Setters.
- The Purple Knights picked up their sixth win by eight points or fewer, including second one-point victory.
THE ACTION
- The teams exchanged six leads by the time 14:09 remained in the opening half, when Brandon Powell buried a three-pointer to give Pace an 11-9 lead.
- Neither team led by more than four points until graduate student Adonis Williams' lay-in produced a 22-16 lead for the Setters at 8:32, and his bucket at 5:25 extended the lead to 30-19. The hosts carried a 38-31 edge into halftime.
- Bryan Powell's three-point play with 7:24 remaining in regulation had Pace up 57-47, but the Purple Knights put together their game-changing 17-3 run. Kabimba's three-point play tied the teams at 59 with 5:39 to go, and Brzezinski's steal on the next possession led to Battle's go-ahead lay-up at 5:07. Another Setter giveaway, this time forced by Kabimba, led to Battle burying a three with 4:37 left, giving the visitors a 64-59 lead.
- Bryan Powell buried three threes in the final 4:21 to keep Pace within one possession, including at 26 seconds, making it 69-68, only 11 seconds after Reid hit two crucial free throws.
- The Setters forced a tie-up to take possession with 21 seconds left, but Yepdo was credited with a steal with 1.1 seconds to go and was fouled. After missing the first free throw, he missed the second intentionally, and the hosts were unable to get away a desperation shot at the buzzer.
NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S GAME
- Saturday vs. Adelphi University, 3:30 p.m.
