COLCHESTER, Vt. The American International College women's basketball team ended Northeast-10 cross-divisional play with a win at Saint Michael's College Saturday at the Ross Sports Center,
With the victory, AIC improves to 17-4 and 10-4 in NE-10 action, while with the loss St. Mike's falls to 7-12 and 3-11 in league play. The 46 points allowed was the eighth time AIC has held an opponent under 50 points this season.
AIC got off the bus and opened the game quickly on a 12-2 run. St. Mike's jump-started the contest with a made layup, but the Jackets rattled off 12 unanswered led by five freshman Jayda Gilmore (Elkridge, Md.) points. Gilmore knocked down a trey in the opening minute to kick-off the fast start.
Up seven, 16-9, after one frame, Jacket seniors Sydney Tepley (Racine, Wis.) and Brianna Bishop (Suffield, Conn.) connected on back-to-back jumpers to extend the edge to 11 points, the highest margin in the early going.
The Purple Knights fought back in the second stanza, cutting the deficit to just three with 2:47 left in the half. AIC senior Kamika Mason (Long Beach, Calif.) grabbed a defensive board and was rewarded on the other end with a lay-in to give her team a five-point edge into the break, 26-21.
St. Mike's opened the second half, like the first, with a bucket, but the Jackets again closed the door, rattling off six straight including four from junior Imani Stepney (Willingboro, N.J.).
The two squads proceeded to keep each other scoreless for 2:35 midway through the third before AIC freshman Dana Watts (Rochester, N.Y.) drew a foul on a made layup and connected on the old fashioned three-point play. On the ensuing possession, Bishop made a thievery and raced to the hoop for the easy bucket and within 23 seconds hit from behind the arc.
Mason, who blocks 2.0 shots a game, did what she does best, denying a Makenzie Burud jumper and converted a layup on the offensive end to push the Jacket lead to 17, 42-25, with under two minutes left in the frame.
The Knights made it interesting in the final quarter of play. Down 18 with 4:59 to go in regulation, Megan Gaudreau hit a three, sparking a 7-0 St. Mike's run to pull it within 11, 53-42. Mason and Burud traded buckets, while Bishop knocked in a pair of jumpers to seal the win in the final two minutes of action.
Bishop finished with a team-high 19 points, 12 coming in the second half. AIC shot much better in the final 20 minutes, going 12-30 from the floor (40.0%). Watts was a rebound shy of a double-double, chipping in 11 points and grabbing nine rebounds, while Mason finished with 12 points.
The Jackets made the Knights pay on the free throw line, hitting 14-15 for the day, while St. Michael's missed seven (8-15). Burud paced her team with 19 points, while Samantha Delaney registered a double-double, 12 points, 11 boards.
The Yellow Jackets next hit the court Wednesday, Feb. 3 when they visit the University of New Haven. Tip-off at Charger Gymnasium is slated for 5:30 p.m.
