NORTH ANDOVER, Massachusetts The American International College women's basketball team had four players score in double figures, including senior forward Dana Watts, who netted her 2,000th career point, but the Merrimack Warriors earned an 82-72 win in a Northeast-10 Conference matchup on Tuesday, January 29.

FAST FACTS:
Final Score:Merrimack 82, AIC 72
Record:The Yellow Jackets drop to 10-11 overall with a 5-8 NE10 mark, while the Warriors improve to 13-7 overall and 6-7 in NE10 play.
Location:Bert Hammel Court, North Andover, Massachusetts

STAT LEADERS:
AIC:
Dana Watts: 17 points, 18 rebounds
Alyssa Guyon: 18 points, six rebounds
Dominique Boyd: 14 points, six rebounds
Rashana Siders: 14 points, five assists

Merrimack:
Mayson Kimball: 22 points, 10 rebounds, six assists
Denia Davis-Stewart: 18 points, five rebounds
Lindsay Werner: 19 points
Karlee Alves: Six assists, four steals

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Merrimack and AIC traded baskets in the early going, with most of the scoring for the Yellow Jackets coming out of the hands of senior forward Alyssa Guyon, who hit the first three field goals of the game for AIC. Merrimack's scoring was more spread out early, with Lindsay Werner the only player to hit multiple shots before AIC's first timeout at the 6:06 mark of the frame and a 10-7 Warriors lead.
• Out of the break, Guyon continued her hot streak, hitting a three, but the Warriors bookended that shot with two field goals of their own and had a 14-10 edge before a layup by sophomore guard Destine Perry. Neither team scored from the field until the final moments when Werner hit a desperation three that beat the buzzer to give the Warriors a 19-13 lead through one.
• The home team landed its first chance of the second quarter to extend the lead, but junior guard Rashana Siders responded with a three from the left side of the arc. Siders sank a pair of shots after a Merrimack three to cut into the deficit, and the teams continued to trade baskets thereafter. Siders drilled another three with just over two minutes left in the half to bring AIC within three, but the Warriors scored on back-to-back possessions to regain control of the game.
• In the final minute, Siders hit another shot, a difficult hook shot in the air from the right side of the basket, and then Guyon forced a held ball to get possession back to AIC. She then hit a jumper to bring AIC within three, but Kate Mager beat the buzzer again for a three, putting Merrimack ahead 41-35 at the half.
• Merrimack opened the second half in possession of the ball, but AIC scored first on a free throw by Guyon. Senior forward Dana Watts sank a basket on the next offensive possession, but Mayson Kimball hit a three to put the Warriors back up six. The ball continued to fall for both teams, with Watts hitting several more shots, but threes by the Warriors extended the lead to 54-46 at the midpoint of the third.
• The gap neither grew nor shrank by much as both teams continued to score; Merrimack led 62-54 with under a minute and a half left in the third, but AIC went on a 6-0 run capped by a Watts steal and a fast-break layup by senior guard Dominique Boyd to put AIC down just a pair at the end of the quarter.
• Both teams scored early in the fourth as the offenses continued to dominate; the Warriors rebuilt their six-point advantage before a Siders jumper ended the run just past the two-minute mark of the frame, and a Boyd steal and fast-break lay-in brought the Yellow Jackets back within two again. After a Watts jumper again cut the deficit, this time to 70-68, AIC took a timeout with 5:58 left in regulation.
• The teams kept up the offense, with Merrimack controlling the ball and a 74-72 lead with 2:32 left when Warriors coach Monique LeBlanc took a timeout. The Warriors scored the next four points to take a 78-72 advantage with just under a minute to play. The Yellow Jackets were unable to recover, falling 82-72.

BUZZWORTHY:

• The Yellow Jackets lost for the first time this season in a game that had four players in double figures; AIC had been 3-0 in those games, with the most recent a win over Cheyney on December 16, 2018.
• Both teams made 32 field goals in the game.

MILESTONE WATCH

• The layup by Watts at 3:07 of the third quarter gave her 2,000 career points, making her the second player in program history behind Juana Garcia to reach the milestone; she ended the game with 2,006 career points to go along with 1,073 rebounds.
• Watts also became the second player to record 700 defensive rebounds, notching 10 in the game to reach 701. Only Garcia, at 726, is in front of her.
• Watts is currently third in AIC history for field goals made with 677, sitting behind Selman (827) and Juana Garcia (894).
• Watts is in sole possession of the free throws made record with 565 in just 107 games. Current AIC head coachKristen Hutchisonis second on the list with 511 made free throws in 120 games.
• Guyon's team-high 18 points improved her career total to 927, leaving her just 73 points from becoming the 22nd player in program history to reachquadruple digits.

NEXT UP:

• AIC returns to action on Saturday, February 2 at 1:30 p.m. at Franklin Pierce University.

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.