Men's Basketball falls short in high-scoring battle with Saint Anselm

SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - In a battle of offenses, the American International College men's basketball team lost a 97-83 result to Northeast-10 Conference rival Saint Anselm College on Saturday, January 25.

AIC is now 3-17 overall and 2-10 in the NE10.

The early stages of the game were back-and-forth as both teams knocked in key threes to switch the lead. Coleman Hopson and Jack Hall were among the target hitters for AIC, and the latter gave the Yellow Jackets an 18-17 edge 6:13 into the contest.

A 9-0 run gave the Hawks the first significant lead of the contest, 28-20, just past the midpoint of the half, and the Yellow Jackets fell behind by double digits before their next field goal. That advantage ballooned to 42-23 with 5:36 to play before Hopson stopped the streak with a three. Ultimately, AIC went into the locker room trailing 54-36.

Out of the break, AIC's offense made its mark, but the Hawks answered nearly every time. The closest AIC could bring the deficit was 12, as Saint Anselm drained 13 free throws and incredibly did not concede even a single attempt to the Yellow Jackets at the line to keep AIC at bay and earn the win.

Justice Ellison led AIC with 30 points, six rebounds, and five assists; Hopson dropped 19 points, while Hall and Tyrae Washington scored 13 apiece.

AIC returns to action Tuesday, January 28 at Saint Michael's College. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.