SPRINGFIELD, Mass. The American International College women's basketball team showed why they are the sixth best defense in the nation Tuesday night in Northeast-10 action, downing Merrimack College at the Butova Gymnasium, 64-37.
With the win AIC improves to 16-4 overall and 9-4 in NE-10 play, while with the loss Merrimack falls to 8-12 and 4-10 in league action.
In a night showcased by a smothering Yellow Jacket defense, AIC senior guard Brianna Bishop (Suffield, Conn.) made history on offense, becoming the 20th player in program history to reach 1,000 points for her career. Bishop went 4-for-4 from the floor in the opening half and entered the intermission with nine points, two shy of the milestone.
With a large lead, the veteran only took one shot in the third quarter, choosing to dish it off to a few teammates for a pair of assists. Bishop missed the mark on her only shot attempt of the second half, a trey that went awry, but was able to hit a pair of free throws after drawing a foul driving the lane to reach the milestone.
The game started with a back-and-forth affair as the teams felt each other out with AIC taking a slim 14-10 lead into the second.
Warrior Tia Scott opened the ensuing quarter with a bucket to pull Merrimack within two, 14-12, but freshman Alyssa Guyon (Ludlow, Mass.) hit the back end of a pair of free throws and senior Kamika Mason (Long Beach, Calif.) made back-to-back buckets to start the second half run. The Yellow Jackets used a large 18-3 stretch to end the second and headed into the half with a healthy 32-15 advantage.
Mason scored six in the frame, while classmate Chrystal Holland (Stoughton, Mass.) added her usual spark off the bench with four points. Bishop capped off a solid first half of shooting with a long three to go 4-of-4 from the field for nine points in the first 20 minutes.
The Jackets held Merrimack to just five points in the second, the fifth time AIC has held an opponent to under to six or fewer points in a quarter this season. American International entered the week sixth in the nation in scoring defense, only allowing opponents 53.6 points.
In the third, AIC senior Danielle Dorsett (Waterbury, Conn.) stretched the lead to 21 with a made jumper, part of a 10-2 run. Freshman Jayda Gilmore (Elkridge, Md.) capped the run with a slashing drive to the hoop to put AIC up 23 late in the quarter.
The Jackets were held without a field goal throughout much of the fourth, settling for two freebies from senior Sydney Tepley (Racine, Wis.) and four straight Bishop free throws. Freshman Dana Watts (Rochester, N.Y.) layup with 2:19 left was the first bucket of the stanza and gave AIC its largest lead of the game, 60-33.
AIC used 21 Warrior turnovers to create 21 points on the other end and won the battle on the boards, 42-32. The Jacket bench came up big, scoring nearly half of the team's points with 33, while holding Merrimack to 25.0 percent from the floor.
Watts led the way with 14, while Bishop chipped in 13. Watts and Tepley hauled in seven boards apiece to lead the way on the glass. AIC remained poised at the charity stripe, hitting 17-18 freebies.
Scott led the way for Merrimack with 11, while Savannah Johnson notched 10 rebounds in the losing effort.
The Yellow Jackets return to action Saturday, Jan. 30 when they travel north to face Saint Michael's. Tip-off with the Purple Knights is slated for 1:30 p.m.
