GARDEN CITY, New York – The American International College women's basketball team lost a 56-54 heartbreaker to Adelphi University in a Northeast 10 Conference matchup on Wednesday, December 3.
AIC is now 5-2 overall and 1-1 in the NE10.
Keyvanna Bennett opened the scoring, firing a midrange jumper home after AIC thwarted the first Adelphi possession, the only made field goal of the first three minutes, before an Adelphi three put the Panthers ahead. Bennett countered with another driving layup, but the Panthers struck from deep again. Chelsea Reeves then knocked down a triple of her own from the right off a pass from Sarai Gurley, giving AIC a 7-6 lead after five minutes of play.
Scoring continued to be difficult, as there was just one Adelphi field goal over the final chunk of the half. AIC ultimately maintained its lead thanks to free throws, with Reeves knocking down two late to put the Yellow Jackets up 11-10 after one.
Gurley opened the second quarter with a layup, and AIC's offense began to click as the Panthers had a pass picked off to send Reeves in on a breakaway, forcing an Adelphi timeout 1:12 into the frame with AIC leading by five. The stoppage helped the Panthers get back on track as they hit their third three, but then left Ahliya Phillips open underneath the hoop almost immediately after for two for the Yellow Jackets.
Adelphi hit its fourth triple of the game on the next possession, though AIC again answered in the paint as Eden Monka drove home two more. It took two minutes for the next make, a putback by Bennett that reextended AIC's edge to five. Another lull followed before Ruzgar Christina Boyle was able to land a driving layup, and then Reeves, Tia-Marie Martinez, and Bennett finished a tic-tac-toe play under the hoop to build AIC's lead to 25-16 and force another Panthers timeout with 3:20 left in the half.
As with the prior timeout, Adelphi scored on the following possession, this time a two, and added single free throw makes on the next two trips down the floor to cut into the gap further. The run continued as the Panthers hit a three with 1:19 left, and with the score suddenly 25-23, it was AIC's turn to stop the game.
The stoppage did not help initially, as AIC turned it over twice and the Panthers took the lead by scoring on both possessions to extend the run to 10. Reeves broke the streak with a floater in the lane, and Adelphi came up empty on its final possession. Martinez made the Panthers pay, hitting a three from the logo to send AIC to the locker room up 30-26.
Starting with possession in the third quarter, Boyle buried a three from the left side, but Adelphi scored the next bucket on a quick passing play under the hoop three possessions later, kicking off another run, but Gurley was able to halt the run with a floater from the middle after grabbing a rebound. Alicia Aznar Chamorro then hit a midrange shot to add her name to the scoresheet just shy of the midpoint of the quarter. Adelphi answered again with a three, and tied the game two possessions later. AIC was able to regain the lead on a Monka putback, and AIC called a timeout with 3:19 left, up 39-37.
The back-and-forth continued, with two key blocks by Bennett that led ultimately to a make by Monka, who then stuffed a chance on the next possession. Boyle also came up with a block on the final possession, and AIC led 43-39 heading to the final frame.
Adelphi's shooting woes continued into the fourth, and Martinez scored the frame's first bucket through contact, and the captain completed the old-school three. AIC was not able to capitalize on the momentum, and again the hosts used a three ball to close the gap to two with just over seven minutes to play. Boyle drove into the paint once more for AIC's next bucket to give the Yellow Jackets some breathing room, and Reeves followed with a breakaway layup. Adelphi took another timeout, trailing 50-44 with 4:53 to play.
The Panthers closed the gap once again, with another three pulling them within one with 3:30 left in regulation, and another layup put them ahead. Reeves drew contact on AIC's following possession and made both free throws, but Adelphi took the lead again on a jumper and added a free throw for the 54-52 edge.
Monka nailed a driving layup to tie the game with 22 seconds left and force an Adelphi timeout. Adelphi countered with a layup of its own, and AIC could not respond, missing the final shot.
Reeves was AIC's leading scorer with 15, while Monka had 10. Reeves and Bennett both notched eight rebounds.
AIC next hosts Pace University on Saturday, December 6 at 1:30 p.m.
