SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts-The American International College men's basketball team held off Post University, 71-67, on Friday, December 29 at Butova Gymnasium in nonconference action.
FAST FACTS:
Final score:AIC 71, Post 67
Records:AIC improves to 7-6 overall while Post goes to 2-9.
Location:Henry A. Butova Gymnasium, Springfield, Massachusetts
STAT LEADERS:
AIC:
Robert Durant: 16 points, seven rebounds
Kassim Kaba: 12 points, two steals
Andrew Anderson: 11 points, nine rebounds
Jordan Vidal: 11 points, six rebounds, six assists
Post:
Tyler Desrosiers: 20 points
Darrick Boyd: 15 points, six rebounds
Jason Nunez: 10 points, two steals
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Down 5-2 just 1:25 into the contest, the Yellow Jackets received a dunk from junior forward Andrew Anderson followed by a three from sophomore forward Zekiah Owens to gain the 7-5 lead. Minutes later, AIC was able to push its lead to eight points by a layup from freshman forward Robert Durant and another triple from Owens. After a jumper from Justin Iton at the 12:07 mark allowed Post to get within two points, senior captain Tahlib Swan made a layup in the paint to put the Yellow Jacket lead back to four.
- In order to get their biggest lead of the game thus far at nine points, a three-pointer from Swan and a layup from Durant put the lead at 28-19. The Yellow Jacket's third 5-0 run of the first half gave them a 33-21 cushion at the 5:06 mark. As the Eagles' Darrick Boyd knocked down a pair of free throws to put his team within eight, AIC went on a 7-0 run to end the half up 40-25.
- As Post got the first three points to start the second half, Durant made a layup with 17:04 left in the game to get the Yellow Jackets on the board and have the 42-29 advantage. Just over three minutes later, Durant finished a layup followed by a dunk to have AIC up 49-36 at the 13:14 mark. Once the Eagles would try to claw their way back, the Yellow Jackets would continue to put their lead back to double digits when Owens hit his third triple of the game with 11:03 remaining in the contest.
- After a layup from freshman guard Adonis Williams gave AIC a 15-point lead with exactly five minutes left in the game, Boyd drilled a three to cut the lead to 12. With the AIC lead back to 14, Post would begin to make a late push by going on an 8-0 run to be down 65-59 at the 2:53 mark. With the Yellow Jackets up just four points with only 37 ticks remaining, Swan and Anderson drew fouls on their next two possessions, and both hit one of two to give AIC a 68-62 lead. With 13 seconds left, Tyler Desrosiers hit a three to cut the Yellow Jacket lead to three, as the Eagles then called a quick timeout. AIC would then get fouled and make one of two free throws to hold on to a 71-67 victory.
GAME NOTES:
- After a 16-point performance on Friday night, Durant now leads the team with eight games in which he has scored in double-digits.
- Freshman guard Jordan Vidal had a career high in rebounds (six) and assists (six) in the win over the Eagles. It also marked the seventh time Vidal scored in double figures this season, tied for second on the team with Adonis Williams.
- AIC out-rebounded Post 47-31. This season, the Yellow Jackets have out-rebounded their opponents in 11 of their 13 games.
NEXT UP:
- The Yellow Jackets will now travel to North Easton, Mass. to take on Stonehill College on Wednesday, January 3 at 7:30 p.m.
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