PLEASANTVILLE, New York The American International College women's basketball team could never quite catch up in a 76-70 loss in a Northeast-10 Conference game at Pace University on Wednesday, November 28.
FAST FACTS:
Final Score:Pace 76, AIC 70
Record:AIC falls to 1-4 overall and 1-2 in the NE10, while Pace improves to 3-4 overall and 2-1 in the NE10.
Location:Goldstein Fitness Center, Pleasantville, New York.
STAT LEADERS:
AIC:
Points: Alyssa Guyon (25), Dana Watts (24)
Assists: Ishanna Brown (4), Dana Watts & Alyssa Guyon (3)
Rebounds:Alyssa Guyon (8), Dana Watts (7)
Pace:
Points: Alexandra Monteleone (26)
Assists: Stefanie Svoboda (5)
Rebounds: Jackie DelliSanti (8)
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• AIC struck for the first four points of the game, and then the teams traded baskets through the first quarter; the most impressive scores for the Yellow Jackets were from sophomore guard Ishanna Brown, who stole the ball on the Pace baseline and hit a layup that put AIC up 8-4 at the time, and from senior forward Alyssa Guyon, who hit a runner in the lane that extended AIC's edge to 10-6. Pace hit two shots late to take an 11-10 lead, but Brown beat the buzzer to put AIC up 12-11 at the first break.
• The Setters hit a three early in the second to take a brief lead, but AIC's next possession ended the same way as Guyon buried a shot from distance to tie the score at 17-17, and after she picked up a defensive rebound on Pace's following possession, she hit a layup to put AIC ahead. Those two buckets were the introduction to an 11-0 run over 3:25 that pushed the Yellow Jackets ahead by a 25-17 count with 5:05 left in the half and forced Pace to take a full timeout.
• Although AIC missed on its next possession, Guyon intercepted a pass and set up senior guard Dana Watts, who was fouled on her shot and hit both free throws to continue AIC's run before Pace finally scored on a three pointer by Stefanie Svoboda with 4:12 to go in the half. That was the start of a comeback by the Setters, who scored eight points in a row to get within two points with 2:12 left in the frame. A pair of subsequent free throws tied the game before Guyon hit a jumper from the right side with just over a minute left in the half to regain the lead. However, the Setters took a lead into the break thanks to a three-point shot from Svoboda to give Pace the edge, 30-29.
• Out of the break, the Setters struck first as Alexandra Monteleone drained a three, and then the defense forced a ten-second violation. Neither team scored until Watts hit a pair of free throws, but Monteleone drained another three to extend Pace's edge to five. The teams went back-and-forth from there, until Monteleone and Jackie DelliSanti hit back-to-back shots with 4:16 left in the quarter to take a 45-37 lead and drew a full timeout from AIC head coach Kristen Hutchison.
• The stoppage helped the Yellow Jackets, as Guyon drilled a three on the following possession, and then Watts scored two on a fast break from a steal. The Setters hit two free throws, but Guyon drained another long shot to bring AIC to within two, 49-47, and giving her a game-high 21 points. Pace hit a few shots down the stretch, and took a 55-50 lead into the final quarter.
• Watts hit the first AIC shot of the fourth quarter, and the teams then traded baskets through the first three minutes as AIC trailed 59-54 after a pair of free throws. Watts completed an old-school three to bring the Yellow Jackets back within a possession again, and senior guard Dominique Boyd hit a free throw to cut the deficit to one shortly thereafter, but the Setters scored the next four points to restore the five-point edge with just under five to play, and then a steal and layup by Svoboda gave Pace a 65-58 edge.
• Watts hit a pair of shots to get AIC back into the game once again, but the Setters were able to respond, as DelliSanti finished an and-one with 3:20 left to put Pace ahead 68-62. Guyon cut that in half with a three from the left side of the arc, and Watts hit a subsequent shot to bring AIC within one. The Setters sank a pair of free throws to give themselves a 70-67 edge with 1:42 remaining, and Watts knocked one in of her own to set up a final minute with a 70-68 Pace lead. However, the Setters hit their free throws on the subsequent possessions to ice the game and earn the 74-68 win.

PLAYER'S CORNER:

• "I had my breakout game for the season, but honestly, it means nothing to me because we didn't get the win," Guyon said after the game, adding that "We did a lot of things well, but we did a lot of things wrong that we need to work on, especially on the defensive end."

NEXT UP:

• The Yellow Jackets return home on Saturday, December 1 at 1:30 p.m. to face Post University in a nonconference matchup.

STAY CONNECTED:,

• For more updates about the AIC women's basketball team, follow@AICWBBonTwitterandInstagram, and likeAIC Women's BasketballonFacebook. For updates on all AIC Yellow Jackets teams, follow@AICAthleticsonTwitterandInstagram, and likeAIC Yellow JacketsonFacebook.