Box Score
Lowell, Mass. - The 10th-seeded American International College women's basketball team closed the game with a 20-4 run over the final 5:21 to pull out a 63-59 victory at seventh-seeded UMass Lowell Sunday afternoon in the first round of the 2010 Northeast-10 Championship Tournament.
The Yellow Jackets (12-15) trailed by 12 after a layup from senior forward Jen Valente (Prospect, Conn.) gave the River Hawks (16-11) a 55-43 lead with 5:49 left in the second half. Junior guard
Adriana Johnson (Tobyhanna, Pa.) answered with a basket on the ensuing possession and that was followed by a three from senior guard
Kristin Boesenberg (Pocono Pines, Pa.) to trigger the game-winning run.
AIC scored the final 10 points of the game after UMass Lowell freshman guard Bianca Simmons (Middletown, Conn.) sank a pair of free throws to give the River Hawks a 59-53 lead with 3:08 left in the contest. The Yellow Jackets scored three straight at the line and then pulled within one after Johnson knocked down a jumper with 1:24 left on the clock.
AIC then regained the lead for the first time since the opening minutes of the contest on a three from sophomore guard
Michelle Lafond (Holyoke, Mass.) with 20 seconds on the clock and Johnson sealed the win with a pair of free throws with six seconds to go. Boesenberg assisted on the go ahead three, passing out of a double-team to Lafond who was wide open in the corner.
Boesenberg scored a game-high 22 points and dished out three assists for the Yellow Jackets, while Johnson was close behind with 18 points and four assists. She also has two rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots.
Sophomore forward
Rhea Pascal (Pickering, Ont.) registered a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 11 boards. Lafond finished with eight points, four rebounds and two assists.
Simmons netted 22 points with three rebounds, two assists and two steals to lead UMass Lowell. Valente finished with 14 points and seven boards.
AIC held an early 11-8 lead before the River Hawks went on a 13-2 run to take a 21-13 lead midway through the first half. The Yellow Jackets pulled back within three after a layup from Lafond with 1:21 left in the opening period before Valente sank a pair of free throws on the ensuing possession to give UMass Lowell a 29-24 lead at the half.
AIC will next travel to second-seeded Pace University Tuesday for Northteast-10 quarterfinal matchup with the Setters. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. in Pleasantville.