WALTHAM, Mass.- Brittany Shields (Cold Spring, NY/Haldane) connected on a foul-line jumper with 2.9 seconds left in the game to lift the Setters to a 64-62 win over the Ravens of Franklin Pierce opening round of the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball East Region Tournament Friday afternoon at Bentley University.

In a tightly contested first half, the Setters were able to pull away late with a 12-6 run to lead 36-28. Both teams held small leads in early action with the Setters shooting 44.8% from the field, including a blistering 5-for-7 (71.4%) from long range. Lisa Welsome (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter's) led Pace with 10 points, while Brittany Huggins (Windsor, CT/Windsor) netted nine and Shields totaled eight points.

The Ravens would rally in the second half to lead by as much as four at 56-52 with 8:07 left in the game. The Setters rallied to tie the game at 58 with 3:43 left in the game on a Welsome lay-up. Huggins would put Pace up two at the 2:19 mark but Tiffany Johnson answered for the Ravens to knot the score at 60.

In the final minute, Franklin Pierce jumped ahead by two as Marielle Giroud converted a pair of free throws with a minute to play but Shields answered with a lay-up with 23 seconds left to play. On the ensuing Raven possession, Shields would grab the Ravens' missed shot to set up the final play. Shields would get the ball at the free throw line, took one dribble and hit the game-winning shot with 2.8 on the clock. The Ravens would only get a half court heave as time expired to lock up the Setters win and advance Pace to the East Region semi-final.  

Shields finished with a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Huggins finished with 16 points. Welsome tallied 15 points and five rebounds.

The Setters return to action on Sunday, March 13 when Pace will play Holy Family University at noon at the Dana Center on the campus of Bentley University.