SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - Behind 19 takeaways total and a 20-5 scoring margin in the second frame, the American International College women's basketball team earned its second Northeast 10 Conference win of the season over otherwise-unbeaten Assumption University, topping the team's I-90 rivals by a 68-53 score on Saturday, January 10.

AIC is now 10-4 overall and 4-2 in the NE10.

Tia-Marie Martinez opened the scoring from deep, and although the Greyhounds notched the next four points, AIC answered, as Keyvanna Bennett hit a layup off of a feed from Ruzgar Christina Boyle, who then knocked in back-to-back threes to force Assumption to take a timeout.

The stoppage worked, as the Greyhounds were able to go on a 13-4 run and take the lead with 1:26 to play in the frame, but the final minute belonged to the Yellow Jackets, with Eden Monka landing a bid from deep late to put AIC back ahead 19-17 after one. 

Back in the lead, AIC rolled in the second. Peyton Grant buried a three to start the period, and AIC's run extended the lead to 32-17 after Grant's second deep make; Monka also nailed another triple, while Reeves and Alicia Aznar Chamorro each scored two, and Chamorro made two steals in the stretch as well.

Assumption was not able to shrink the deficit back to single digits, and AIC kept piling on the points, ending the frame with a bang as Boyle stole the ball at the top of the arc in Assumption's end and sprinted length of the court to lay in a buzzer beater, giving AIC a 39-22 lead after two.

In the third, the game was in cruise control mode for the Yellow Jackets. The lead grew to its largest at 49-30 after Reeves knocked down a three with just under three to play on a feed from Sarai Gurley, who also snared a steal in the period. Reeves accounted for 10 of AIC's 14 in the frame as the Yellow Jackets carried a 53-37 lead into the final quarter.

The Greyhounds were in desperation mode to start the fourth and opened with a three, but Reeves answered with one of her own and then Bennett picked off a pass, allowing Boyle to score again and expand the deficit back to 18. Assumption closed to within 11 with 4:06 to go, but AIC shut them down over the next 3:25 with an eight-point run capped by four straight free throws by Martinez, and AIC prevailed on home court.

Gurley and Monka both set career highs with six and four steals, respectively. Reeves was the game's leading scorer with 18 points, while Boyle and Monka added 12 and 10, respectively. 

AIC now will ready for a showdown with the NE10's leading team, Bentley University. The first of two meetings will take place Wednesday, January 14 in Waltham, Massachusetts at 5:30 p.m. at the Dana Center.