EASTON, Mass. The American International College men's basketball team fell as time expired at Stonehill College Saturday afternoon in Northeast-10 action, 77-75.

With the loss AIC falls to 7-11 overall and 3-9 in conference, while with the win Stonehill improves to 15-4 and 10-3 in league play.

Trailing three with the shot clock off, Trahmier Burrell (Albany, N.Y.) powered down the lane and missed a lay-in, but Rasheed Howard (Woodbridge, N.J.) was there for cleanup duty and put it in while drawing the contact. Howard converted the free throw to tie it at 75 all.

On the ensuing possession, AIC got a hand on the ball, but Skyhawk Pierce Cumpstone was there to pick it up and laid it in as time expired.

It took AIC a lot of work to make it a game late. Down by as many as 12 in the opening half, senior guard Cameron Dobbs (Albany. N.Y.) opened an 8-2 AIC run with a layup and three.

Late in the half, freshmen Jayvon Pitts-Young (Portland, Maine) and Bruce Spruell (Hanover, Md.) hit back-to-back trey's, part of an 8-2 run to end the frame, 40-35. Dobbs opened the first 20 minutes of play 5-9 from the floor for 13 points.

Out of the break, an Oscar Assie (Ansonia, Conn.) dunk opened a 7-0 Jacket run to take their first lead of the game. Dobbs launched a long three, while Trahmier Burrell (Albany, N.Y.) laid it in to help create their first lead in the first possessions, 42-40.

Stonehill's Carter Smith drained a three to retake the lead, but junior Juwan Moody (Pontiac, Mich.) responded with a monster shot from behind the arc to give it right back.

The Skyhawks came back and moved the advantage back to seven, 61-54, but a Howard layup and another Moody long range hit brought the Yellow Jackets back within one possession.

AIC clawed back within one as Nolan Woodward (Montreal, Quebec) forced a turnover leading to a Howard fast-break flush at the other end with 92 seconds on the clock, 73-72.

At the other end, Daniel Brix hit his free throws to make it a three-point edge with just over a minute left. The Jackets turned it over and Cumpstone's three went wide to set up the Howard game-tying old fashioned three-point play.

Dobbs finished with a team-high 21 points, going 8-16 from the floor. Woodward chipped in 11, while Assie, Burrell and Howard were just outside double figures with nine each. Rebounding was spread across the team with Burrell hauling in a team-high seven.

Both sides shot evenly for the game, 44.3 percent for Stonehill and 44.1 percent for the Jackets in a back-and-forth second half.

AIC returns to the court Tuesday, Jan. 26 when Merrimack College visits the Butova. Tip-off with the Warriors is slated for 7:30 p.m.