BRIDGEPORT, Conn. Senior Oscar Assie (Ansonia, Conn.) record's his second double-double of the season with 19 points and 15 boards to help American International College defeat Bridgeport, 85-73, in non-conference men's basketball action this afternoon.
The win marks the first of the 2015-16 season for the Jackets as they move to 1-6 while the Purple Knights fall to 1-4 with the setback.
Down 68-65 with 6:49 remaining AIC went on a commanding 18-0 run to take an 83-68 lead with 1:49 to play and all but seal the game. The teams traded a few buckets during the waning moments to account for the final score.
The run was started with a three ball by Junior Juwan Moody (Pontiac, Mich.) and was highlighted by a pair of dunks from Assie and senior Trahmier Burrell (Albany, N.Y.) as well as a traditional three-point play from senior Cameron Dobbs (Albany, N.Y.).
Assie led all scorers with his performance as the Jackets saw five players reach double-digits with Burrell and Spruell each collecting 17 and Dobbs and Moody adding 15 and 11, respectively. Spruell also turned in a game-high seven assists while both Assie and Burrell shot 8-of-13 (61.5 %) from the field and Moody was 3-for-4 from behind the arc.
Down 9-5 in the opening half AIC went on an 11-0 spurt midway through the first to grab the 16-9 lead as freshman Bruce Spruell (Hanover, Md.) hit a pair of lay-ups and sophomore Nolan Woodward (Montreal, Quebec) had a traditional three-point play to ignite the offense.
From their Bridgeport regained stability and eventually tied the contest at 22-22 after freshman D'Vonne Trumbo (Franklinville, N.J.) dialed one in from long distance at the 7:54 mark.
The teams continued to trade buckets and possessions down the stretch of the first half as the game saw three more ties and three lead changes with Spruell collecting four more points to give him a game-best 13 in the half while Assie registered six points over the final seven minutes for the 33-33 tie at the intermission.
Moody opened the second half strong as he drained a three ball, But it was more of the same as the first half with the teams trading buckets with the Purple Knights grabbing their largest lead of the half after senior Devon Elliot (Brooklyn, N.Y.) hit a trey of his own at the 15:22 mark making it a 46-42 game.
The Jackets battled back keeping the game close and grabbing a four point lead of their own after a lay-up by Burrell capped an 8-0 run over the next 1:30 of game action.
The back-and-forth game continued from there with Bridgeport grabbing the lead again before Moody tied the contest with a three and Dobbs connected from distance for the 61-59 lead with 8:30 remaining.
The hosts continued to respond and again took a four point lead after a pair from the charity stripe made it a 65-61 game with 7:31 on the clock, but Dobbs and Spruell sliced through the lane on the ensuing possessions for a pair of easy buckets and another tie just 30 ticks later.
Both teams shot relatively well from the field as AIC was 32-for-69 (46.4%) while the Purple Knights went 28-for-70 (40%) with 10 three-point baskets. The visitors also controlled the glass with a 46-38 advantage while leading in bench points (34-23), points off turnovers (17-9), fast-break points (18-2) and points in the paint (46-30).
Elliot paced the Bridgeport offense with 17 to lead four players with double-digit efforts.
The Yellow Jackets have the week off for finals before returning to action on Saturday with a trip to Le Moyne to resume conference play with a 3 p.m. tip-off.
