Pace Football Totals Nearly 500 Yards of Offense in Loss to Assumption

PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – The Pace University football team racked up nearly 500 yards of total offense in a 49-21 defeat to Assumption College on Friday night. The loss moves the Setters to 2-2 on the season, while the Greyhounds shift to 3-1. Inside the Numbers *Seeing his second start as a Setter, junior quarterback Carlton Aiken (Gibbstown, NJ/Paulsboro) led Pace to nearly 500 yards of total offense. The dual threat tallied more than 300 of those yards himself, completing 13 passes for 163 yards and rushing the ball 18 times for 159 yards. He also scampered in for a pair of touchdowns. *Running back Jhalen Bien-Aime (Dorchester, MA/Bridgton Academy) was also over the century mark for the Setters' ground game, registering 114 yards on just 11 carries. His efforts included a 71-yard dash in the third quarter. *Freshman Antonio Giannico (Mahopec, NY/Archbishop Stepinac) also impressed in the back field, adding 50 more yards and a touchdown. Pace's running attack averaged 9.0 yards per carry, while scoring three times in the game. *Defensively, senior Jah'Sheem Martin (Freeport, NY/Freeport) led the way with a game-high 3.5 tackles-for-loss, including a solo sack in the third quarter. Joe Mendez (Old Bridge, NJ/Manalapan) also added a sack for the Blue and Gold, while Isaiah Williams (Newburgh, NY/Newburgh Free Academy) forced a fumble in the second quarter. *The Setters' offense showed plenty of quick-strike ability, posting scoring drives of 3:43, 3:31 and 2:10. Pace accumulated 487 total yards in the game, averaging 8.3 yards per play. How it Happened The Setters hopped out to the early lead on Assumption, scoring a touchdown on the game's opening possession. Pace needed just three minutes and 43 seconds to record a 77-yard touchdown drive, capped off by a powerful 11-yard scoring trudge from Giannico. The Greyhounds responded with a pair of quick scoring marches of their own in the first quarter, taking a 14-7 lead with 3:28 left in the opening frame. Pace knotted the game at 14 apiece at the very beginning of the second quarter. Aiken's first touchdown run of the game put the exclamation point on an eight-play, 83-yard drive for the Setters. After the scored evened in early portions of the second, Assumption seized control of the contest. The Greyhounds ran off 14-straight points prior to halftime before scoring again on the opening possession of the third quarter to take a 35-14 lead. The Setters cut into that edge with their final score of the night mid-way through the third. Aiken once again got loose, making his way into the end zone from 22 yards out. Up Next The Setters will be back home next Saturday when they host Stonehill College at noon.