Box Score

PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – Freshman center Sarah Schicher (Vienna, Austria) registered a team-high 17 points as the Southern Connecticut State University women's basketball team attempted to complete the season sweep of Pace University on Wednesday evening in Pleasantville, N.Y. Despite an industrious team effort, the Owls were defeated 62-49 at the Goldstein Center. With the loss, Southern currently resides at 5-15, 2-13 in the Northeast-10 Conference. The Setters of Pace University improved to 12-6, 9-5 in the league with the win.

The Setters grabbed an early advantage when Lisa Welsome capped off a 10-3 run over the first 5:08 of action with a 15-foot jumper from the wing. The Owls fired back with a 10-7 run of their own after Logan Lentz (Chambersburg, Pa.) nailed a three-pointer cutting their deficit to four with 9:29 remaining in the first half. Pace concluded the low scoring first half with a 10-7 run, taking a 27-20 lead at halftime.

Brittany Shields led all scorers at intermission as she netted eight points on 4-6 shooting and grabbed five rebounds for the Setters. Coming off of a career-high 20 points against Saint Rose last week, Allyson Smith (East Hampton, Conn.) continued her hot hand recording six points and four rebounds for the Owls. Schicher also chipped in with five points and five boards of her own.

After a first half that featured a poor display of offense from both sides, each team came out looking for a spark. The Setters found that spark from guard Kristin Connolly, who connected on a lay-up and a three-pointer that extended Pace's lead to 13. The Owls battled back with a 10-4 run behind the inside presence of Schicher who registered six points during the span. The Setters lead was cut to eight points with less than 10 minutes remaining in the games.

Pace University responded with a 15-8 run of their own, capped off by a lay-up by Brittany Huggins that extended the lead to 15. The Setters controlled the tempo down the stretch and made their free-throws, leading to the team's 12th win of the season.

Huggins finished with a game-high 19 points on 8-18 shooting and hauled in seven rebounds to lead the way for the Setters. Schicher collected 17 points and nine rebounds, while Jacqueline Johannes (Southbury, Conn.) registered another double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds for the Owls.

Up next for the Owls, on Feb. 4 the team will travel to St. Anselm College for a Northeast-10 Conference showdown at Stoutenburgh Gym. Game time is set for 5:30 p.m.