Men's Basketball overcomes multiple deficits to knock off Falcons

SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - It felt like deja vu all over again as the American International College men's basketball team pulled off an impressive comeback to down Bentley University 72-66 in overtime on Tuesday, November 21.

AIC is now 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the NE10.

Down 17 with 8:20 to play after Zach Laput sank a shot, AIC began its comeback effort with a Tyrae Washington basket through contact, and he made it an old-school three. Jalen Jordan and Justice Ellison followed with a deuce and a triple, and Ellison knocked down another deep shot to eviscerate the Bentley advantage.

The Falcons notched four quick points to go back up 10, but Omarion Jett-Dobbs and Ellison found the net from range on AIC's two subsequent possessions, and Ellison then knocked in another two and a three, the latter giving AIC the lead. The contest went back-and-forth from there, with AIC taking a 62-60 edge on an Ellison jumper from Lovre Zaja, but Laput beat the buzzer with a bucket to force OT.

Zaja opened the extra session's scoring, and never looked back thanks to four straight free throws from Jalen Jordan that put AIC ahead by six. The Falcons managed just two field goals in the overtime, and Jett-Dobbs and Washington's free throws at the end cemented the 72-66 final.

Just to get there, AIC had to overcome significant challenges. The Falcons netted the game's first dozen points before AIC scored, but the Yellow Jackets chipped away, cutting the gap to just 25-24 and going to the locker room down only four. That gap re-extended early in the second, and the Yellow Jackets were chasing the game for most of the second until the late run that allowed them to get to overtime.

Ellison led AIC with 20 points and added six boards and three assists.