SPRINGFIELD, Mass. Senior Kamika Mason (Long Beach, Calif.) led all scorers with 16 points as American International College defeated Southern Connecticut State University, 59-52, in Northeast-10 women's basketball action this evening from the Butova Gymnasium.

AIC extends their winning streak to five games while improving to 20-4 overall and 13-4 in league action while the Owls fall to 14-10 on the year and 7-9 in NE-10 play.

This marks the 11th time the Yellow Jackets have achieved a 20-win season and first since the 2008-09 campaign when they had 21 victories.

Trailing 44-41 with 6:18 remaining Mason sandwiched a lay-up and a traditional three-point play around a basket from freshman Jayda Gilmore (Elkridge, Md.) for the 48-44 lead with just under four minutes to play.

The teams then traded baskets with AIC receiving a big bucket from freshman Dana Watts (Rochester, N.Y.) and another by Mason, who scored 12 of her team-best 16 points during the final frame, including a pair from the charity stripe to seal the victory.

Gilmore and Watts joined Mason in double-digits with 12 points and 11 points, respectively.

In a back-and-forth opening quarter the Jackets caught fire near the end using a 7-0 spurt to take the 15-14 lead after Gilmore was true from distance with just seconds remaining in the first stanza.

AIC kept that momentum flowing into the second quarter opening up with an 8-2 run over the first 2:43 to grab their largest lead of the half at 23-16. Senior Sydney Tepley (Racine, Wis.) dialed in from long range over that span and freshman Alyssa Guyon (Ludlow, Mass.) closed the run with a traditional three-point play.

The Owls then closed the half on a 9-2 burst of their own to tie the game at 25-25 at the intermission as junior Maria Weselyj (Marlborough, Mass.) and senior Danielle Powell (Middletown, N.Y.) each knocked in trey's.

Both defenses continued to play tough in the third quarter causing turnovers and not allowing many second chance opportunities and holding each other to under 30 percent from the field. Each team did had a mini run and AIC took the slim 37-35 lead into the final quarter of action.

Senior Jackie Beathea (Annandale, Va.) paced the Owls with 15 points and 18 boards.

AIC held the slim 38-33 edge on the glass and shot 40 percent (23-for-57) from the floor including an eye-popping 48 percent (12-for-25) in the second half. SCSU managed just 22-for-62 (36 percent) from the field.

AIC returns to action on Saturday as they travel to Pace for a 1:30 p.m. affair.