Box Score

PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – Sophomore guard Mariah Hankton (Upper Marlboro, Md.) scored 19 points, but the Southern Connecticut State University women's basketball team was edged by Pace on Wednesday night, 62-59, in a Northeast-10 Conference game.

The Owls took a 5-2 lead early on a Katie Stopera (Hollis, N.H.) three pointer, which capped a 5-0 run after Pace scored on their opening possession. Southern would not surrender the lead throughout the first half and after a Hankton jumper with 4:25 remaining, Southern took their biggest lead of the first half at 29-21. The Setters would cut it to four with a little over two minutes to go in the half, but Stopera would hit her second triple of the night to give the Owls a 35-28 lead going into the break.

After the Owls started the second half with two Camille Fantini (Andover, Mass.) free throws and a Hankton jumper, Pace would go on a 13-0 run to take their first lead since leading 2-0 early in the first half. Pace would lead 46-43 with just over nine minutes remaining in the game when SCSU would answer with a 7-3 run of their own after Nicole Grossbard (Pearl River, N.Y.) converted on a layup to give the Owls a 50-49 edge with under seven minutes to go.

The Setters Allison Cleary would hit a three pointer to give Pace a 52-50 lead and they would not give it back to the Owls the rest of the way. Hankton would complete a pair of free throws with 3:48 remaining to cut the lead to 1, 58-57, but the Owls would only score one point in the last three minutes and Pace would go on to win by a final score of 62-59.

Jackie Beathea (Annadale, Va.)  would record her second double-double of the year with 17 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Fantini chipped in with seven points and four rebounds for the Owls in the loss.

Brittany Shields scored a game-high 18 points for the Setters (4-1, 3-1 NE-10) in the win.

The Owls (2-3, 0-3 NE-10) will be back in action Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Moore Field House to take on AIC.