MILLINDER THREE AT BUZZER LIFTS MEN'S HOOP TO 75-72 OT WIN
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (December 13, 2006) -
A three-pointer by Lucius Millinder (Belleville,
N.J.) as time expired in overtime lifted American International
College to a 75-72 overtime victory over UMass Lowell Wednesday
evening at Butova Gymnasium in Northeast-10 men's basketball.
The Yellow Jackets, who have now captured back-to-back overtime
contests and have won four of five, even their record at 5-5 (4-4
NE-10), while the River Hawks are 5-6 and 2-5 in the league.
Millinder finished with a career-best 24 points, going 11-17 from the floor, while Magen McNeil (Philadelphia, Pa.) finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Vernon Dupree (Wilmington, Del.) had 12 points, while Aikeem Vanderhorst (Bay Shore, N.Y.) added 10 points and seven rebounds.
Jerreh Saidybah led UMass Lowell with 23 points off the bench, while Dashon Harper had 21 points.
AIC would trail by as many as five points in overtime but tied the game at 68 with 53 seconds to go on a basket by Millinder. Brandon Shelton would put the River Hawks up three on their next trip when he drained a three in the right corner with 37 ticks of the clock remaining. On AIC's next trip, Vanderhorst would be fouled on a putback of a Jeff Dosado (Montreal, Quebec) miss, and he made both with 13 seconds to go to cut the lead to one. Harper would be fouled on the inbounds and made 1-of-2 at the line, missing the second and the rebound falling to McNeil.
Dupree would drive and miss an initial attempt to tie the game, but Vanderhorst collected the rebound and laid it in to knot the score with 4.3 seconds left. UMass Lowell would commit a turnover with 1.2 seconds left to give the Yellow Jackets one last chance. Vanderhorst would inbound on the left sideline and get it to Millinder, who shot a 25-foot shot that found nothing but the bottom of the net as time expired.
AIC led by four at halftime and opened up a 46-33 lead with 16:38 to go on a basket by Dosado. The River Hawks would chip away at the lead and tie the game with 1:49 left on a Saidybah basket to make it 57-57. Dupree would give AIC a 59-57 lead 21 seconds later, but Saidybah would score the final points of regulation with 37 seconds to go. AIC had two chances to win it in regulation but shots by Dupree and Vanderhorst were off the mark.
AIC outrebounded UMass Lowell 36-29, including a 16-6 offensive rebound advantage. The River Hawks shot 52.2% from the floor, but were hampered by 20 turnovers.
AIC is idle until December 22 when it hosts
Philadelphia University in a non-league game that tips off at 3:30.