SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - The American International College men's basketball team dropped a close 71-67 Northeast-10 Conference contest against Southern New Hampshire University on Saturday, February 15. 

AIC is now 3-22 with a 2-15 NE10 mark.

The Penmen jumped to a 10-4 lead, but Abdullah Mahamed and Coleman Hopson each scored four points to turn the score around, and after the Penmen re-tied the game, Kanye Wavezwa swished a three. The Yellow Jackets used more deep shots to expand the edge to as much as 25-18 after a Lovre Zaja make from distance.

Southern New Hampshire then turned it back on and retook the lead, which set up a back-and-forth push down the stretch that saw four lead changes and three tied scores before the Penmen took a 35-34 advantage into the locker room after a Kurtis Henderson jumper was the final make of the half.

Justice Ellison scored the first second-half basket to put AIC up one early, but the Penmen began pulling away after that with 11 straight points, forcing an AIC timeout in the process. The Yellow Jackets battled to bring it back within six points midway through the half, with Tyrae Washington sending Jack Hall on a breakaway after a steal just before the 10-minute mark, only for the Yellow Jackets to be scoreless for nearly six minutes straight. The SNHU lead grew to as much as 16 in that stretch.

AIC was down, but not out, and climbed back into the game with a 10-point run started by Mahamed and keyed by triples from Ellison and Wavezwa. The Yellow Jackets closed further, getting within three points late, but could not find the tying basket in the eventual 71-67 final.

Ellison led the game with 20 points, while Mahamed notched 10; Hall led AIC with seven boards.

The Yellow Jackets continue NE10 play at Assumption Unversity on Wednesday, February 19 at 7:30 p.m.