SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - The American International College men's basketball team held on for a 98-96 victory over Northeast-10 Conference rival Adelphi University at Butova Gymnasium on Saturday, December 9.
FAST FACTS:
Final score: AIC 98, Adelphi 96
Records:AIC improves to 5-4 overall and 2-3 in the NE10; Adelphi goes to 3-7 overall and 1-5 in the NE10.
Location:Butova Gymnasium, Springfield, Massachusetts
STAT LEADERS:
AIC:
Tahlib Swan: 30 points, seven rebounds, two steals
Adonis Williams: 22 points
Xion Golding: 17 points
Andrew Anderson: 11 points
Robert Durant: 11 points
Adelphi:
Michael Coffey: 38 points, 8-for-15 from three-point range
Austin Beech: 14 points
Terrel Martin-Garcia: 13 points, 13 rebounds
Jack Laffey: 12 points
Conor McGuinness: 10 points
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Down 12-3 just 2:46 into the game, AIC went on a 9-4 run to cut the deficit to four points. Senior forward Tahlib Swan then made the contest a one-point game with a three-pointer. A layup from freshman forward Robert Durant then gave the Yellow Jackets their first lead at 17-16 with 14:43 remaining in the first half. Tied at 24 at the 11:33 mark, a dunk from junior forward Andrew Anderson allowed AIC to retake the lead. Minutes later, down four points, freshman guard Adonis Williams nailed a triple to get the Yellow Jackets within one point of Adelphi.
- Tied at 49 with just 50 seconds left in the half, Durant made a layup to have AIC go up 51-49. That lead would get extended when senior guard Kassim Kaba made a steal on the defensive end and dished it off to Swan for the dunk. A three from the Panthers' Tavon Ginyard made the score 53-52 at halftime.
- Both started off the second half by trading baskets, but then freshman guard Xion Golding connected on a three to give the Yellow Jackets a 58-54 advantage. After Adelphi's three pointer from Michael Coffey cut the AIC lead to 63-60, Williams hit a triple of his own to put the Yellow Jacket lead at six points. At the 11:03 mark of the half, the Panthers took their first lead of the game since the 19:27 mark of the second half when Austin Beech drained a trifecta to give Adelphi the 76-74 lead.
- Trailing 84-82, Swan made a jumper to tie it up, followed by two made free throws from Anderson in order for AIC to retake the lead. With 4:44 remaining in the contest, the lead changes would continue as Swan hit another three to give AIC the 93-91 lead. After Beech made a layup at the 3:17 mark to tie the game back up, both teams would fail to score for 2:26, until Golding made a layup to put the score at 95-93. With 14 seconds left in regulation, Williams hit one of two at the line to have AIC up 98-96. On the next possession, the Yellow Jackets made a stop defensively and were able to survive with a 98-96 victory.
GAME NOTES:
- AIC had five players score in double figures on Saturday. It marked the second time the team has accomplished that, also doing so in an 89-71 loss to Bridgeport on December 2.
- Swan's 30 point-performance is a career-high. He has now scored in double figures six times this season.
- Durant has now scored in double figures in five games this year, and had a career-high in field-goal percentage on Saturday, shooting 83 percent from the field.
- The Yellow Jackets had three team season highs in result of Saturday's win, in points (98), field goal percentage (56 percent), and three-point percentage (48 percent).
NEXT UP:
- AIC will travel to Bronxville, N.Y. to take on Concordia College in a non-conference matchup on Tuesday, December 12 at 6 p.m.
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