MILLINDER’S CAREER-HIGH 22 PUSHES AIC MEN PAST SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (January 21, 2006)
– Freshman Lucius
Millinder (Belleville, N.J.) tossed in a season-high
22 points and John Huggins
(Philadelphia, Pa.) totaled 21 points to lead American
International College to a 55-53 win over Southern Connecticut
State University in a Northeast-10 men’s basketball game at
Butova Gymnasium Saturday afternoon. The win snaps a three-game
slide for the Yellow Jackets as they improve to 9-8 overall and 5-7
in the Northeast-10. The Owls fall to 4-13 and 1-12 in the league.
Millinder came off the bench and finished 11-19 from the floor and also grabbed 11 rebounds, while Huggins, who notched his fifth-straight 20-plus point effort, was a perfect 7-7 at the free throw line and drained four three pointers. Jenar Harrison (Queens, N.Y.) added eight points for AIC. Ktrice McNeill (Bronx, N.Y.) totaled 12 points and nine rebounds for Southern Connecticut while Alex Gambino (Huntington Station, N.Y.) had 11 points and 10 boards.
AIC, which trailed 31-28 at the break, opened up a 53-45 lead with 4:48 to play when Huggins drained four straight free throws after a pair of technical fouls were assessed to the Southern bench. The Yellow Jackets still had a 55-48 lead with 1:15 left when Cory Hudson (Baltimore, Md.) scored to cut the lead to five. After AIC turned it over inbounding the ball, Hudson buried a three with 56 seconds to go to cut the lead to two.
A three-point attempt with 24 seconds left by Huggins was off the mark and the Owls controlled the rebound. Southern got two looks at the basket, a three by Jamal Cooke (Portland, Ore.) and a putback by Hudson, but both were off the mark as the final buzzer sounded.
American International opened up a 20-11 lead with just under eight minutes to play in the first half on a dunk by Dexter Gregory (Paterson, N.J.). The guests would then go on a 13-2 run and a layup by Gambino with 2:43 before intermission gave the Owls a 24-22 lead. Harrison would tie it 34 seconds later on a layup but P.J. Isaacson (Sydney, Australia) buried a three on Southern’s next possession and the Owls would maintain the lead the rest of the half.
AIC returns to action Tuesday evening when it
travels to Saint Rose for a 7:30 contest.