Men's Basketball Falls to Pace 77-74

December 1, 2004

PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – Bryant’s John Williams (Springfield, Mass.) scored a career-high 33 points including a career-best seven 3-point field goals but it was not enough as Pace University held on for a 77-74 win over the Bulldogs here Wednesday night.

Bryant (1-2, 1-2 NE-10) led, 67-59 with 8:02 remaining following a Jarett Love bucket, but the Bulldogs were held without a field goal in the final 4:34 but despite still holding onto a 73-68 lead with 3:51 left on the clock.

That's when the Setters went to work, trimming the lead to 73-72 with 1:28 left and finally going ahead following a pair of Ryan Williams free throws to make it 75-73 with 57 seconds left in regulation. John Williams would make one of two free throws to pull the Bulldogs to within a point, 75-74 with 49.2 seconds left.

On the Setters’ next possession, the Bulldogs forced Pace into a turnover however Bryant was unable to convert on the other end and was forced to send the Setters to the line. The Bulldogs did have one last shot at the end but Jarett Love’s three-pointer rimmed out at the buzzer.

The Bulldogs shot 43.3 percent from the field as John Williams was red-hot, making 11 of 15 from the field and 7 of 10 from behind the arc. Mike Williams (Ellington, Conn.) was the only other Bulldog to reach double figures, finishing with 10 points and five rebounds before fouling out with three minutes remaining.

Pace (3-2, 2-2 NE-10) would place four players in double figures with Chaka Lightburn scoring 14.

Bryant will return home to host Southern Connecticut this Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. game at the Chace Athletic Center.