Hopson has career night, but men's basketball comes up short at Franklin Pierce
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
American Int'l | 36 | 34 | 70 |
|
Franklin Pierce | 37 | 43 | 80 |
RINDGE, New Hampshire - Rookie Coleman Hopson scored a career-high 19 points, but the American International College men's basketball team fell 80-70 to Franklin Pierce University in Northeast-10 Conference play.
AIC is now 3-11 overall and 2-4 in the NE10.
Jack Hall opened the offense up for AIC with an early three, finishing a pass from Justice Ellison, but the Ravens responded with several makes of their own, taking an 11-5 lead before AIC began chipping away. Midway through the half, it was Reece Brown who drained a three, bringing the Yellow Jackets within an 18-16 margin. Tyrae Washington scored the game's next field goal, tying the contest.
After that, the Ravens retook the lead twice, only to have Hopson hit shots, the second one from deep, to give AIC a 23-22 lead. He added another triple on AIC's next possession, finishing a feed from Lovre Zaja, and two possessions later landed another from Washington. Hopson and Ellison both added points, helping AIC to a 36-26 lead. However, the Ravens ended the half on a run of their own, scoring 11 straight to take back the lead, 37-36, at halftime.
Early in the second, the teams continued to trade the lead; Abdullah Mahamed and Hall each gave AIC the advantage with makes, while Ellison put AIC up 49-48 on a free throw just shy of the 7:30 mark. Midway through, Hopson once again found the bottom of the net from beyond the arc, giving AIC the edge again, 54-52.
Down the stretch, however, the Ravens were able to take back the lead and maintain it. Free throws with 5:41 to play extended the home lead beyond 10 points, 67-56, and the Yellow Jackets could not catch up as both teams made shots. Hopson knocked in the game's last bid, also from deep, but the Ravens won 80-70.
Hopson's 19 was his first double-digit scoring game; the rookie had scored 17 total points across all his previous games. Ellison was AIC's leading scorer with 23, and Washington led AIC with 13 rebounds.
The Yellow Jackets next hit the court on Wednesday, January 8 at 7:30 p.m. at Adelphi University.