Women's Basketball advances in NE10 Tournament with victory against Saint Anselm

SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - In the third meeting of the year between the teams, the American International College women's basketball team put together its best showing, downing Saint Anselm College 64-56 in the Northeast-10 Conference Championship Tournament First Round on Friday, March 1.

AIC improves to 15-14 overall.

The Hawks scored the first four points and held AIC scoreless until Briana Lee hit a layup from Kayla Robinson nearly four minutes in, but the offenses caught fire from there; Ruzgar Christina Boyle picked off a pass and scored a breakaway layup to tie the game 8-8 and then on AIC's next possession, Alicia Aznar Chamorro found Tia-Marie Martinez open for three to put AIC up 11-10. The Hawks scored the final two field goals of the quarter, as Tatum Forbes landed both, to give the visitors a 14-13 lead after one.

Forbes added a third straight hit to start the second, but Ahliya Phillips sank a three off a feed from Nora Young to tie it, and the lead went back-and-forth several times from there all the way through a pair of Martinez free throws that sent AIC to the locker room up 25-24.

The third quarter was when the Yellow Jackets began to assert their dominance. Robinson started the scoring after a block by Rhaymi Porter, and a jumper by Lee forced a Hawks timeout. Lee kept piling on, ultimately netting eight straight AIC points before Martinez drained a three from Young to put AIC up double digits, 40-28, with 2:30 left in the frame. That margin stayed the same at the end of the period as well, as AIC held a 44-32 advantage after a half hour.

The Hawks had their season on the line and fought hard in the fourth, but the Yellow Jackets continued to hold the guests at arm's length; every point by the visitors was met with scoring at the other end, as Lee continued to lead. Just shy of the midpoint, Katie Lemanski drained a three, but Boyle answered from deep, and AIC sank free throws down the stretch to earn the 64-56 win.

Lee led the game with 25 points and added 10 rebounds for a double-double; she narrowly missed an unorthodox triple double, drawing nine fouls in the match. Robinson scored 14, while Martinez added nine. AJ Washington grabbed five boards and Young snagged six as well as dishing five assists. Porter made three of AIC's eight blocks, with five other players adding a swat each. 

The Yellow Jackets next visit top-seeded Bentley University in the NE10 Quarterfinal; tipoff in Waltham, Massachusetts is set for 1:30 p.m.