ALBANY – Senior forward Amy Voelkel came up with a steal with 37 seconds remaining and The College of Saint Rose forced visiting Pace University into a turnover on its ensuing possession to chalk up a key 54-51 Northeast-10 Conference victory this afternoon. The two teams came into the game tied for fourth place in 16-team league with identical 12-6 records and have now split the season series after the Setters upended the Golden Knights 64-58 in Pleasantville back on November 28.

Saint Rose (17-6/13-6 NE-10) rallied from a 31-27 halftime deficit by shooting 46.2 percent (12-for-26) and forcing Pace (18-7/12-7 NE-10) into just 25.9 percent (7-for-27) shooting during the final 20 minutes.

Junior forward Ali Johnson posted her third “double-double” of the year to lead the Golden Knights who have now reeled off eight straight in Albany after falling 69-65 to Assumption in their home opener. Johnson wound up with 12 points, on 5-for-7 shooting, and 11 rebounds to go with four blocks.

Junior guards Ola Shajuyigbe and Ashley Rath tossed in 19 and 14 points respectively, while Voelkel wound up with six assists and eight boards to go with three points.

Saint Rose trailed throughout the initial 27 minutes and was down by as many as 12, 25-13, with 6:46 remaining in the first half, before closing the stanza with a 14-6 jaunt that made it a four point ballgame at the break.

Six minutes into the second period, Shajuyigbe knocked down a trey from the right wing and then finished inside to get Saint Rose to within one, 39-38. Pace subsequently came up empty and Johnson finished off a feed from Voelkel to put the Golden Knights ahead to stay, 40-39, with 12:42 showing on the clock.

The lead then hovered between three and five points during the next four minutes until Rath scored inside to afford the Golden Knights a seven point, 52-45, advantage with 6:46 left.

However, Pace tallied six unanswered points throughout the next five minutes to get back to within one, 52-51, after sophomore guard Allison Cleary  knocked down a 3-pointer with 1:56 to go. Voelkel then went 1-for-2 from the foul line and then came up with her key steal that set the stage for the closing moments of a heart-stopping affair.

Sophomore forward Brittany Shields finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Setters, while Cleary added 10 points in 22 minutes off the bench.

Looking ahead, both teams have 5:30 pm conference home dates scheduled for Wednesday. The Golden Knights will welcome New Haven to Nolan Gymnasium, while the Setters will entertain Le Moyne. Each squad also has only three games left on its regular-season docket.

Following today's contest, Saint Rose held a check presentation ceremony at halftime of the men's game. The College donated the proceeds from paid admissions to the contests, a figure that was then matched by Saint Rose President Dr. R. Mark Sullivan; to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, The V Foundation for Cancer Research, and Camp Bravehearts. The final figure wound up being $2,840.

Saint Rose furthermore honored some 40 student-athletes for outstanding athletic achievement during the past year in a separate ceremony.

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