Team effort lifts men's basketball past New Haven

SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - The American International College men's basketball moved a game up from February 12 to Wednesday, January 5 to take on the University of New Haven after a trip to The College of Saint Rose was postponed. The Yellow Jackets outscored the Chargers 35-27 in the second half to earn a Northeast-10 Conference win, 67-62.

FAST FACTS:
Final Score: AIC 67, New Haven 62
Records: AIC moves to 6-7 (3-3 NE10), while New Haven moves to 7-4 (3-3 NE10)
Location: Butova Gym Springfield, Massachusetts

KEY STATS:
AIC:
Jordan Vidal: 15 points, seven rebounds
Xion Golding: 14 points, four rebounds
Jalen Jordan: 12 points, nine rebounds
Walter Covington: eight points, four rebounds

New Haven:
Davontrey Thomas: 19 points, six rebounds
Quashaen Lane: 10 points, five rebounds, four assists
Derrick Rowland: 10 points, five rebounds, four steals

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Yellow Jackets milked the clock on the first possession of the game as they missed a shot at the end of the shot clock but were able to grab the rebound and freshman Donovan Miller hit a triple to open the game.
• Leading 11-9, graduate Jordan Vidal, AIC's leading scorer in the game, hit a pair at the line. On the next AIC possession, sophomore Jalen Jordan nailed a jumper to make it a two-possession game before Vidal hit two more freebies to give AIC the 17-9 lead.
• That lead disappeared as the Chargers started to heat up and tied the game up with an 8-0 run that spanned 56 seconds of gameplay. They went on to go up by as many as six in the half before the Yellow Jackets made it a three-point game 20 seconds before the buzzer sounded.
• AIC trailed 51-47 with over 10 minutes left when Jordan hit a layup to bring it within two. After forcing a bad shot on the other end, freshman Tyrae Washington laid one in and drew the foul and gave AIC the one-point lead after completing the old-fashioned three-point play.
• After a pair of turnovers by both teams, Jordan grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back us as the Yellow Jackets continued to roll. The AIC 9-0 run was completed by Washington with a decisive dunk from the left side through two defenders and made it a 56-51 game, which forced a New Haven timeout.
• The Chargers tried to extend the game by calling timeouts to talk strategy and gain some rest, but the Yellow Jackets took care of business down the stretch on both ends. A charge taken by Vidal, his fourth of the night with 29 seconds remaining, sealed the 67-62 victory for AIC.

NEXT UP:

• AIC is scheduled to return to action on Tuesday, January 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Saint Anselm College after the Yellow Jackets' trip to Franklin Pierce University was postponed due to safety protocols.
• Any changes to the schedule will be updated on aicyellowjackets.com as well as social media.