WALTHAM, MA – The Pace University women’s basketball season came to an end on Thursday night in the semifinal round of the Northeast-10 Conference Championship at the hands of Bentley University, 57-52.

The Setters’ season ends with a 14-16 record.

After a back-and-forth first quarter ended all knotted-up at 12-12, the Falcons enjoyed a breakout second period, outscoring Pace 16-8, en route to a 28-20 halftime lead.

The Setters then outscored the Falcons by six points in the third quarter, sending Pace into the final stanza down just 42-40.

However, a storybook ending was not to be as Falcons overuled the Setters by three points in the final quarter, with freshman Julia Elie making seven of her eight shots for a game-high 16 points.

While Pace’s defense was mostly stout on the season, its offense could not find the bottom of the net with regularity, as the Setters were the only NE10 squad without a double digit per-game scorer in 2022-23.

In her 31^st season as head coach, Carrie Seymour failed to muster the proper offensive rotations needed for success.

Bentley, meanwhile, is on its way to a 31^st finals appearance in 41 seasons, with a 34-8 head-to-head record versus Pace.

The Falcons will try to make it back-to-back championships on Sunday when they hit the road to take on Southern New Hampshire University.

Of the 13 full-time Northeast-10 Conference members, Pace remains the least decorated school in terms of basketball tournament championships, with zero wins.

In the 26 seasons since the Setters joined the NE10, prior to the 1997-98 slate, Pace is one of only three programs to never win a championship game, with the other two non-championship-game-winning-programs having reached more finals than the Blue & Gold.

NORTHEAST-10 CONFERENCE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP WINS (by school):

1/ Bentley (25 Titles): 21 Women’s, 4 Men’s

2/ Saint Anselm (10 Titles): 9 Men’s, 1 Women’s

3/ American International (5 Titles): 4 Men’s, 1 Women’s

4/ Assumption (4 Titles): 4 Men’s

5/ (tie) Adelphi (3 Titles): 2 Women’s, 1 Men’s

Le Moyne (3 Titles): 2 Men’s, 1 Women’s

So. Connecticut State (3 Titles): 2 Women’s, 1 Men’s

8/ (tie) Franklin Pierce (2 Titles): 2 Women’s

Saint Michael’s (2 Titles): 2 Men’s

So. New Hampshire (2 Titles): 2 Men’s

NON-CHAMPIONS:

11/ (tie) New Haven: 3-time Men’s Runner-Up

Saint Rose: 2-time Women’s Runner-Up, 1-time Men’s Runner-Up

13/ Pace: 1-time Women’s Runner-up

Basketball is far from the lone sport devoid of school titles. A more in-depth article covering Pace’s lack of NE10 tournament championship wins across all sports is forthcoming.