ALBANY, New York The American International College men's basketball team came up just short in a 73-72 Northeast-10 Conference matchup against The College of Saint Rose on Wednesday, February 20.

FAST FACTS:
Final Score:AIC 73, Saint Rose 72
Record:AIC falls to 10-16 overall and 6-12 in the NE10; Saint Rose improves to 9-16 overall and 6-12 in the NE10.
Location:Daniel P. Nolan Gymnasium, Albany, New York

STAT LEADERS:
AIC:
Isaiah Salter: 15 points, six assists
Zekiah Owens: 10 points, 10 rebounds
Adonis Williams: 12 points, five rebounds
Bane Terzic: 10 points, five rebounds, three assists, three steals

Saint Rose:
Tyler Washington: 24 points, five rebounds, four assists
Shane Herrity: Five rebounds, four assists, four steals
Matt Cerutti: Seven points, four rebounds, three steals.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• AIC and Saint Rose traded baskets in the early going of the game, with rookie guard Isaiah Salter draining a pair of threes to put the Yellow Jackets ahead 10-6 inside of three minutes into the matchup. Both teams continued scoring, with a layup by sophomore guard Adonis Williams and a three by junior guard Logan Santiago giving the Yellow Jackets a 17-9 lead at 5:54 and forcing a Saint Rose timeout.
• The Golden Knights sank a three out of the stoppage, and then a pair of layups cut their deficit to a single point with 8:04 elapsed in the first half. AIC took a timeout, and the scoring stagnated from there for several minutes, with AIC still leading 17-16 at the midpoint of the frame.
• Salter drained another three to reignite the offenses shortly after the 10-minute mark, but Saint Rose buried two shots, including a three from the right wing by Shane Herrity to briefly put the Golden Knights ahead before a steal and score that ended with a layup by junior forward Trevaun Hyatt returned AIC to a one-point edge.
• That layup started a run for AIC, but the Golden Knights managed a four-point play as Matt Keenan drained a three despite being fouled and sank the free throw. Saint Rose later tied the game with a corner three, though AIC had a 30-28 edge with five minutes to play after a pair of free throws.
• Junior guard Zekiah Owens forced another Saint Rose timeout by slamming home a dunk on a fast break at 15:37, but the next basket did not come for over two minutes, with Saint Rose scoring on a fast break. Williams answered that with a three from the left wing, and a layup by Golding a minute later pushed the AIC lead to 37-30. Saint Rose hit a three, but Owens rushed down the court to beat the buzzer with a three of his own off the glass to give AIC a 40-33 edge at the break.
• The Golden Knights scored first in the second half, sinking a pair of layups to get within three before Williams hit a running jumper to snap the streak, but Tyler Washington drained a left-wing three and the Golden Knights scored on the following possession to tie the game 42-42. Williams again took control, sinking a three from the left corner on the following possession. A Washington jumper brought Saint Rose within one just shy of the five-minute mark of the half.
• Saint Rose took a lead shortly after, as Sekou Sylla hit a layup and the subsequent free throw after a foul. Salter tied things back up with a reverse layup, and then Owens followed with another; Adam Anderson drained a left-corner three to once again put the hosts ahead.
• After a tying free throw, freshman guard Bane Terzic hit a three from the left side to give AIC a 55-52 advantage. He then followed with another three, but Washington had an answer from deep for Saint Rose to make the score 58-55 AIC at the midway point of the half.
• The teams continued to trade buckets, but AIC added to its lead during a six-point run consisting mostly of free throws; AIC had a 68-59 edge with 5:01 to play.
• Down the stretch, the Golden Knights kept battling, with a right-corner three by Washington bringing the home team within three, 70-67, with 2:41 remaining. Terzic expanded the AIC advantage with two free throws, but Matt Cerutti hit a three from the top of the key to make the game a one-possession affair, and then Washington drained one from the right corner to put the Golden Knights ahead 73-72 with 1:11 remaining.
• AIC gained possession after a miss by the Golden Knights with 26.7 seconds left, and Owens was fouled going up for a shot with 4.4 seconds remaining. However, he missed both free throws, and the Golden Knights hung on for the win.

NEXT UP:

• The Yellow Jackets return home for a matchup against New Haven on Saturday, February 23 at 3:30 p.m.

STAY CONNECTED:

• For more updates on the men's basketball team, follow@AIC_MBBonTwitterandInstagram. For updates on all AIC Yellow Jackets teams, follow@AICAthleticsonTwitterandInstagram, and likeAIC Yellow JacketsonFacebook.