MANCHESTER, New Hampshire An early run by Southern New Hampshire University ended up being the margin of victory as the American International College women's basketball team fell 63-54 on Wednesday, January 22 in Northeast-10 Conference action.

FAST FACTS:
Final Score: SNHU 63, AIC 54
Record: The Yellow Jackets fall to 6-13 overall and 3-7 in the NE10, while the Penmen rise to 11-7 on the season with a 4-6 NE10 mark.
Location: Stan Spirou Field House, Manchester, New Hampshire

STAT LEADERS:
AIC:
Rashana Siders: 22 points, five rebounds
Asia Turner: Six points, six rebounds
Nadia Wooten: Four points, six rebounds

SNHU:
Jenna Roche: 16 points, five rebounds, four assists
Victoria Dean: 15 points, six rebounds
Gyanna Russell: 11 points, four rebounds


HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Victoria Dean opened the game with a three for the Penmen off of the opening tip, sparking a 7-0 run over the first two minutes. After Dean hit a jumper to make it 9-0 at 3:31, head coach Kristen Hutchison called a timeout and changed out all five players on the court.
• Out of the stoppage, junior Regine Blakney drilled a three from the right side to snap SNHU's run. She then set up classmate Sara Guntin Barriero for a jumper, and on the next Penmen possession, the forward drew a charge to negate a basket by the home side. Blakney countered a SNHU basket with one of her own, getting AIC within an 11-7 margin with 2:50 to play in the first.
• Junior Asia Turner knocked down a jumper late in the frame, and senior Rashana Siders buried a buzzer-beating three to bring the score to 13-12 at the end of the frame.
• The Penmen notched the first points of the second quarter as Jenna Roche hit a layup; Adriana Timberlake added a three for the hosts, but Siders responded by drawing a foul and sinking both free throws. The teams traded baskets from there, with junior Destine Perry and Siders both knocking down threes to keep the team close. The Penmen lead was 27-20 at the midpoint of the frame.
• Deep shots by the home side extended the difference to 33-22 late in the stanza before a Siders bucket stopped the run; junior Nadia Wooten then answered a drive with one of her own, and Siders hit a step-back three to further slash the deficit. Perry hit the last basket of the half, sending the team to the locker room down 37-31.
• Freshman Kayla Robinson started the second half off in a big way, sinking a corner three, but neither team scored at all for the next three minutes until a pair of free throws by Jenna Roche of SNHU, and the next field goal of the third came almost seven minutes later when Robinson laid in a fast-break opportunity. Siders hit a jumper to bring AIC within 42-41, and after a pair of SNHU free throws, the frame ended with the Penmen up 44-41.
• Perry hit a cross pass to Turner in the paint for a jumper to start the fourth and get AIC within one again, but the Penmen hit on their next possession to go back ahead by three. Once again the offenses stagnated, with SNHU hitting the next bucket almost four minutes later, but the Penmen followed with a three to force an AIC timeout as their lead grew to 51-43 with 4:45 left.
• Siders knocked down a mid-range jumper out of the stoppage, only to see the Penmen start a run to extend the lead to 55-45. The team's captain added five more, and Robinson and Perry hit shots late as well, but the deficit never quite vanished as the hosts won 63-54.

NEXT UP:

• The Yellow Jackets return home to face Bentley University on Saturday, January 25 at 1:30 p.m.

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