Rutherford NJ - Felician University Men's Basketball hosted against Ranked #21 Pace University this afternoon. The Golden Falcons kept it close, with both sides batting every single second leading to the team having to go to overtime, and fell at the last minute losing 68-63. Here's what happened during this afternoon's contest. 

First Half - Jabri Fitzpatrick opened Felician's scoring with a free throw at the 19:24 mark. Shortly after, Marcus Pierce added four points with a jumper and a layup. Jhonny Tovar was instrumental, contributing defensively with rebounds and offensively with a three-pointer and a layup, giving Felician the lead early on. He continued his scoring streak with another jumper to extend Felician's momentum. Jared White's steal and subsequent layup gave Felician a 14-12 lead with 12:06 remaining. He also added a free throw later to keep Felician competitive. Tavian Pullock hit a crucial three-pointer late in the half, assisted by Fitzpatrick, putting Felician ahead 25-23. Felician's defense was led by Tovar, who dominated the boards with multiple defensive rebounds, and Pullock, who was active with steals. These efforts allowed Felician to stay in contention despite a back-and-forth pace. By the end of the half, Felician and Pace were tied at 25-25, setting the stage for an intense second half.

Second Half - Felician starts the second half strong with Marcus Pierce and Jonathan Izemef providing immediate energy. Izemef comes up big with a block at 16:40, and Pierce delivers back-to-back buckets, including a powerful dunk and a jumper, to keep Felician in the lead. The defense intensifies as Jabri Fitzpatrick forces turnovers and sparks the transition game. Fitzpatrick also knocks down free throws and sets up Jared White for a clutch three-pointer and a fastbreak dunk at 3:52, stretching Felician's lead to 50-41. Tavian Pullock adds critical points at the line, keeping the pressure on Pace. Pace battles back late, tying the game with a dramatic three-pointer in the final seconds, which lead to overtime for the Golden Falcons. 

Overtime - Felician came out strong in overtime with Marcus Pierce hitting a jumper and a free throw to give the team an early lead. Jabri Fitzpatrick added to the momentum with a crucial jumper in the paint, assisted by Jared White, extending the lead to 58-54. White followed up with a clutch layup, pushing Felician ahead 60-57 with under three minutes remaining. Tavian Pullock kept Felician in the fight with a mid-range jumper, assisted by Pierce, putting Felician up 62-59 at the 1:53 mark. Despite a late push from Pace, Felician battled hard until the final whistle but couldn't overcome Pace's late-game surge.

The Golden Falcons get a few days off to recover from this loss, but start off their conference play this Tuesday, December 3rd against Caldwell at 7:30 PM!