Three Ups, Three Downs from Men’s Basketball’s Loss to Southern Connecticut State

Tyaire Joseph, Contributing/Sports Writer|December 10, 2018

Pace University Athletics.

Austin Gilbertson’s second half buzzer beater was one of the positives from Pace basketball’s loss this past Saturday.

In what was a true thriller, men’s basketball came up short this past Saturday against Southern Connecticut State University. The game, which ended in overtime, saw Southern Connecticut escape with the 86-82 win. The game featured nine lead changes, eight ties, and even a miraculous buzzer beating shot to send the game into overtime.

Despite the loss there were some positives that came out of this game.

Up: Brandon Jacobs –  The sophomore guard continues to shine on the early season. Jacobs, who came into the game averaging 16.7 points per game, tallied 17 points on the game along with nine assists.

Up: Offense –  The Setters offense continued to click on all cylinders, which has been a trend thus far this season. The team had four players reach double digits. Along with Jacobs’ 17, junior Peyton Wejnert had a double double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, senior Greg Poleon tallied 17 points, and sophomore Austin Gilbertson rounded out the quartet with 15 points.

Up: Fight –  Down three following a spectacular three point shot by Southern Connecticut’s Ulyen Coleman, it seemed as if the game was all but over for the Setters. But with no timeouts left and full court length to go, Gilbertson did the unthinkable, as he heaved a shot from half court and banked it in at the buzzer to send the game into OT. This play, more than any, highlighted the fight that the Setters showed the whole game.

Down: Rebounds – One of the main reasons Pace came up short can be pointed to the lopsided rebound margin that Southern Connecticut had over the Setters. The Setters were out-rebounded 43 to 26. They also allowed 11 offensive rebounds, which proved to be detrimental down the stretch in the game.

Down: Second half defense – In the first half, the Setters mainly kept the Southern Connecticut offense in check, holding them to a 53 percent field goal percentage and 18 percent from behind the three-point line. The second half was a different story. The Setters could not defend the three-point line allowing the Owls make 7 out of 14 three pointers on half.

Down: Overtime performance – Following the incredible shot by Gilbertson, the Setters still had to regroup themselves and play an overtime period. However, the Setters could not keep up with the Owls in the overtime period, allowing 12 points to their eight points. The Setters shot a poor 33 percent from the field while, the Owls shot 50 percent from the field and were perfect from behind the arc.

The Setters look to bounce back on Tuesday night when they take on NYIT at The Goldstein Fitness Center.