EASTON, Mass. The American International College women's basketball team dropped a Northeast-10 road contest at Stonehill College Saturday afternoon at Paula Sullivan Court, 55-44.

With the loss AIC falls to 15-4 overall and 8-4 in league play, while with the win Stonehill improves to 10-9 and 5-8 in NE-10 play.

The Jackets got off to a slow start, opening the game 0-12 from the floor, while allowing Stonehill to rattle off 17 unanswered points.

AIC senior Brianna Bishop (Suffield, Conn.) finally made something happen late in the frame, driving the lane and drawing a Skyhawk foul. The senior hit both from the line to put the Jackets on the board with 3:05 left in the first.

Off the bench, Jacket freshman Dana Watts (Rochester, N.Y.) hit back-to-back buckets in the paint to provide a much needed spark. The rookie capitalized on a turnover at the other end with a high percentage shot.

At the heart of the fast Skyhawk start was junior Kelly Martin. Martin went 4-7 from the floor in the opening frame for a quick nine points.

AIC kept pace in the second stanza and was able cut the deficit to 12 with under 4:00 to play in the half. Senior Sydney Tepley (Racine, Wis.) came away with a steal and gave it up to a flashing Jayda Gilmore (Elkridge, Md.) who finished the fast break with a right-handed lay-in. The teams traded buckets the rest of the way as AIC entered the intermission down, 34-20.

After a 5-0 Stonehill run opened the second half, AIC senior center Kamika Mason (Long Beach, Calif.) settled the Jackets down, hitting back-to-back buckets in the paint and helped cut the deficit back to 10, 41-31, with just over 2:00 minutes in the quarter.

Martin halted the run at the other end, laying it in and drawing a foul. She completed the traditional three-point play to begin a 7-0 run to end the frame, 48-31.

In the final quarter, Easter and Gilmore powered a 10-0 Jacket run, combining for eight in that span, and cut the deficit back under double figures late, 53-44, but the damage was done.

Mason led the team with 13 points, while Gilmore chipped in eight. Tepley grabbed a team-high eight boards in the losing effort.

AIC held Martin to seven over the final three quarters. The Skyhawk finished with a game-high 16 points.

The Yellow Jackets return to action Tuesday, Jan. 26 at home against Merrimack College for a NE-10