Women's Basketball rallies late to upend No. 8 Bentley

SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - Trailing by 10 in the fourth quarter, the American International College women's basketball team locked in and outscored No. 8 Bentley University 17-5 over the final seven minutes to knock off the Falcons 66-64 in a Northeast-10 Conference matchup on Tuesday, November 21.

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

A pair of early threes and then two free throws gave the Falcons a 59-49 advantage with 7:43 to play, and the odds seemed stacked against AIC. However, a six-point run - keyed by two buckets from Ruzgar Christina Boyle - pulled the home squad back within four just past the midpot of the period. The teams traded free throw attempts on the next possessions, with Rhaymi Porter's pair cutting the gap to three. Porter then swiped the ball, setting up Kayla Robinson for an easy layup, forcing a Bentley timeout with the score 60-59.

The battle continued, and AIC forced more free throws, with Briana Lee knocking one in to tie the match with 2:33 to go. On the next turn down the floor, Porter swatted away an Ella Thompson attempt, grabbing the rebound and getting it to Robinson, who drew a foul. Both her free throws went through, putting AIC ahead.

The eighth-ranked Falcons responded, with Thompson knocking in a jumper to tie the game with 1:50 left.

The contest from there was won - and lost - at the line. The Falcons missed key free throws, but led 64-63. Down to what might have been their last possession, Lee drove in, and drew contact with eight seconds to play. She coolly sank both opportunities to flip the score. Bentley's last shot clanked off the iron, and Boyle snagged the board, drawing a foul and sinking another free throw before firing the second off of the rim and right back to herself to ice it.

It was not the first comeback for AIC in the game. The Yellow Jackets trailed 14-2 early, overcoming that to take a 24-21 lead in the second on a Tia-Marie Martinez triple. It was a back-and-forth from there until the early fourth quarter Falcons run.

Lee narrowly missed a double-double with 19 points and nine rebounds. Boyle put home 16, while Robinson notched 12 with six boards and four helpers. Porter had six points, five blocks, and 10 rebounds.

The Yellow Jackets will look to add to their win total on Su