SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts- The American International College women's basketball team hosted #25 Queens College in a non-conference showdown. The Yellow Jackets scored early and held the lead throughout on their way to a 71-60 win.

Dana Watts started the game off with a block of Mackenzie Rowland. On the other end, Imani Stepney knocked down a long ball and gave the Yellow Jackets the 3-0 lead. They extended their lead to five on a layup by Tanisha Moyer. With a minute left in the first, Stepney knocked down a free throw to make it a 10 point game, 18-10. A late Knight run cut that in half before the end of the first quarter.

With 6:05 on the clock in the second frame, Jayda Gilmore knocked down a jumper and put the Yellow Jackets ahead by 11. The Knights responded with a 5-0 run and forced a Yellow Jacket timeout. At the end of the first half, the Yellow Jackets led 36-28.

The Yellow Jackets struck first in the second half on a layup by Alyssa Guyon put them up by 10. They then used four free throws, two by Watts and two by Gilmore, to extend their lead to 14. After a jumper by the Knights, Guyon knocked down a three from the left wing and gave the Yellow Jackets a 15-point lead, their largest of the night. However, at the end of the quarter, the Knights had cut their deficit to just seven points.

With six and a half minutes left in the game, the Knight started a run. Rowland knocked down one free throw before blocking a Yellow Jacket shot on the other end. She then sprinted down the court and knocked down a jumper and made it a six-point lead. Off an AIC turnover, the Knights cut the Yellow Jackets' lead to four on a layup.

That would be as close as the game would get as the Knights tried extending the game. AIC took the opportunity to extend their lead at the line and took the game 71-60.

Once again, Watts had a team high 26 points and nine rebounds. She also notched two blocks and two steals in 37 minutes of play. Stepney shot 5-of-7 from the field as she recorded 16 points and eight rebounds. Gilmore was just one assist away from a double-double as she had nine dimes, 11 points and five steals.

The Yellow Jackets return to action on Saturday afternoon in the AIC Holiday Classic. They will tip at 1:30 p.m. against Dominican.