SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The American International College men's basketball team held off a late run by visiting Southern Connecticut State University to record a 76-73 Northeast-10 victory Saturday afternoon at Henry A. Butova Gymnasium.

The Yellow Jackets improved to 3-4 for the season and 2-3 in the Northeast-10 with the win, while the Owls fell to 4-3 overall and 3-2 in conference play.

AIC led by nine, 69-60, with 35 seconds to go in the game, but a combination of missed free throws by the Yellow Jackets and sharp shooting from Southern Connecticut allowed the Owls to pull back within 74-71 with 10 seconds to go. Graduate guard Sesoo Ikpah (Williamstown, N.J.) was then fouled three seconds later and hit both free throws to make it a two-possession game and seal the win for AIC.

The Yellow Jackets opened the game with a 10-2 run but a 14-4 run for SCSU put it ahead 16-14 7:10 into the contest. The lead traded hands on a number of occasions before AIC went on a 14-1 run to open a 38-29 lead with 1:55 left in the opening half. The Owls scored the final two baskets of the period to pull within 38-33 at the break.

The game remained close the rest of the way, but the Yellow Jackets never surrendered the lead as they snapped a two-game slide.

Ikpah finished with 21 points with four rebounds and two assists to lead AIC, going 7-of-14 from the field with two threes and 5-of-6 from the line. Sophomore guard Spencer Braithwaite (Dorchester, Mass.) netted 14 points with a game-high nine assists, four rebounds and two steals.

Sophomore forward Brennan Cooper (Springfield, Mass.) added a season-high 13 points with six boards, two assists and two steals, while sophomore forward David Campbell (Boston, Mass.) added 12 points with four boards, four assists and two steals.

Junior forward Trevon Hamlet (Brooklyn, N.Y.) poured in a game-high 23 points for SCSU on 9-of-12 shooting from the field with four threes while grabbing five rebounds and blocking three shots. Langston added 20 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the floor with three steals.

The Yellow Jackets won the game at the free throw line, going 14-of-16 at the stripe while the Owls were just 2-for-5.

AIC will next host a Northeast-10 contest against the University of New Haven Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Butova Gymnasium.