SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts – Both teams had key players make big shots in clutch moments, but Saint Anselm College escaped with a 74-72 Northeast-10 Conference win over American International College women's basketball on Wednesday, November 13.

AIC is now 2-1 overall and 0-1 in the NE10.

The teams traded buckets at both ends, with early triples from Peyton Grant and Ruzgar Christina Boyle for AIC. The Hawks were able to build to a 17-8 lead as AIC's shooting went cold, with a stretch of over 3:30 without a field goal before a Chelsea Reeves layup with 2:10 to play. However, the Yellow Jackets were able to close the gap down the stretch, and an Ahliya Phillips swipe followed by a give-and-go with Reeves was the final bucket of a quarter that saw the Hawks lead 19-15.

Boyle knocked in back-to-back threes early in the second to tie the game 21-21, and the back-and-forth continued all the way through the frame. Eden Monka put AIC on top by tipping in a Keyvanna Bennett miss with 2:32 to play, and then knocked down another jumper and a pair of free throws, giving AIC a 33-29 advantage at the break.

The Hawks hit the first two field goals of the second half, and the lead kept changing hands as both sides landed key shots. AIC fell behind by six, but was able to chip away, and an and-one for Reeves made it a one-point contest heading into the final frame, with AIC down 52-51. 

It continued in the same way in the fourth, with AIC and Saint Anselm bouncing back and forth; the Hawks again took a six-point advantage, but Boyle slashed that in half with a triple. Saint Anselm's Addisen Sulikowski drained a three shortly after to cap a run that gave the Hawks a nine-point lead with 4:15 to play, but the Yellow Jackets were relentless, and a Keyvanna Bennett tip-in brought AIC within 70-69 with 1:10 to play.

Melanie Hoyt sank a layup with half a minute to play, forcing an AIC timeout. On the next possession, Grant was open in the left corner and Bennett found her, with the newcomer splashing a tying triple with 22 seconds left. Unfortunately for AIC, the Hawks made the last bucket, with Hoyt's field goal winning the game 74-72.

Boyle led AIC with 23 points, while Reeves had 15 and Monka 14. Reeves and Bennett each had seven rebounds to lead AIC. 

AIC next heads to Queens University on Saturday, November 16 for a 1:00 p.m. tip-off.