Women's Basketball wins back-and-forth battle with D'Youville

SPARKILL, New York - The American International College women's basketball team swept opening weekend by defeating D'Youville University 69-66 at Saint Thomas Aquinas College on Saturday, November 11.

AIC is now 2-0 on the season.

Kayla Robinson notched each of AIC's first four points, although the Saints countered her field goals with threes. Near the midpoint of the first, Briana Lee hit back-to-back buckets to give AIC a one-point edge, and then responded to a three from Stella Mollica with an and-one. The first frame ended with the score at 18-18.

In the second, AIC took charge. Though the first basket took nearly four minutes to score, AIC pulled ahead on a deep shot from Tia-Marie Martinez; two possessions later, Ruzgar Christina Boyle hit the first of two in a row from range, extending the AIC edge to 31-26, an advantage the Yellow Jackets took to the locker room.

The Saints bounced back quickly in the third, tying the game at 33-all at the 2:10 mark, but Lee answered on the next possession by finishing a pass from Nora Young. The AIC edge extended to as much as 47-39 with 2:09 to play when Boyle sank another three from Robinson, and AIC led 51-46 at the final quarter stop.

D'Youville rallied again in the fourth, taking a lead of 56-55 with 4:02 to play on a Mollica layup, and Anna Jankovic made it 58-55 with 2:13 to play. Fortunes seemed bleak for AIC, but Lee and Martinez both ignored the momentum to hit threes, giving AIC back a 61-60 edge with 1:25 left.

On the next opportunity, Lee sank another layup, and the Saints had to begin fouling. That proved the difference; the Saints got within 67-66, but the last baskets of the game were from the charity stripe by Robinson, and Brianne Moxley's last-second three was rejected by Lee to end the game.

Lee's 25 by far led the game, and her 10 rebounds gave her a double-double. Martinez and Boyle each notched 14