BRONXVILLE, New York - The American International College men's basketball team hit the road for a non-conference matchup against the Clippers of Concordia on Tuesday, December 12. Trailing by 10 with 2:44 left in the game, the Yellow Jackets stormed back and stunned the Clippers in a 60-59 final.
FAST FACTS:
Final score: AIC 60, Concordia 59
Records:AIC improves to 6-4 overall; Concordia goes to 4-6 overall.
Location:Bronxville, NY
STAT LEADERS:
AIC:
Andrew Anderson: 12 points, nine rebounds
Robert Durant: 12 points, six rebounds
Zekiah Owens: 10 points, six rebounds, four blocks
Concordia:
Brandon Fields: 13 points, four rebounds
Michael Demello: 13 points,
Justyn Gardner: 10 points, seven rebounds
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- With his team down by four, sophomore forward Zekiah Owens forcefully sent down a dunk to get the Yellow Jackets on the board just over a minute into the game. Freshman guard Adonis Williams tied the game at the 15 minute mark with a free throw to draw the game even. On the next AIC possession, Williams knocked one down from deep to give the Yellow Jackets their first lead of the game, 12-9.
- With nine-and-a-half minutes left in the opening half, AIC's lead grew to 12, its largest of the half, 25-13. Over the next three minutes, the Clippers cut their deficit in half as they started to climb back into the game. At the half, AIC led the Clippers, 34-28.
- Two minutes into the second half, the Clippers took the lead, 36-34. Owens made it a one-point game, 40-39, in favor of the Clippers before a three-minute drought by both teams. Concordia's Michael DeMello made a free throw before the Yellow Jackets broke the field goal-less streak with a three by sophomore guard Charles Chung at the 12:13 mark and gave AIC the lead, 42-41.
- The Clippers' advantage grew to 10 with 2:24 left before the Yellow Jackets started chipping at the lead.
- With 26 seconds left, junior forward Andrew Anderson nailed a jumper to make it a one-point game. AIC fouled to try and extend the game. The Clippers missed the front end of the 1-1 and Anderson grabbed the rebound. With five seconds left, Owens missed a layup, but freshman forward Robert Durant was there to tip it in and give AIC the 60-59 lead with four seconds remaining. The Clippers took a timeout to draw up a play. Out of the timeout, Clippers got off a three, but it was off the mark, and AIC took the game, 60-59.
GAME NOTES:
- AIC out-rebounded the Clippers 40-39. This season, the Yellow Jackets have out rebounded their opponents in eight of their 10 games, while having a 5-3 record in those contest.
- Owens set a career high with four blocked shots against the Clippers. This season, he has three games with three or more blocked shots, a feat that he accomplished only twice last season.
- The Yellow Jackets shot just 12 free throws in the game, their lowest total of the season, while only making four of them.
NEXT UP:
- The Yellow Jackets will host the AIC Holiday Classic this weekend when they welcome in Franklin Pierce, Bloomfield, and Wilmington. On Saturday, the Yellow Jackets will face Wilmington, followed by Franklin Pierce against Bloomfield. On Sunday, Wilmington will take on Franklin Pierce followed by AIC against Bloomfield.
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