MEN'S BASKETBALL CLAMPS DOWN ON BRYANT 58-47

BOX SCORE

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (February 10, 2007) - Magen McNeil (Philadelphia, Pa.) registered his 11^th double-double of the season with 12 points and 13 rebounds as American International College posted a 58-47 Northeast-10 men's basketball victory over Bryant University Saturday at Butova Gymnasium.  The win improves the Yellow Jackets to 13-10 overall and 11-7 in the NE-10, matching last season's win total, while the Bulldogs are now 15-8 and 12-7 in the league.  The win, which gives AIC its most league victories since the 2001-02 season, also moves the Yellow Jackets into a fourth-place tie in the NE-10 standings in the loss column with Bryant.  The top four teams earn first-round byes to the NE-10 Tournament.

McNeil led a balanced AIC attack as Jenar Harrison (Queens, N.Y.) finished with 12 points while Lucius Millinder (Belleville, N.J.) added 10 points and Jeff Dosado (Montreal, Quebec) finished with nine.  The story for AIC was on the defensive end, as it limited Bryant to 26.3% shooting from the floor, including just 22.6% in the first half, and just 20.7% (6-29) behind the three-point arc.  The 47 points allowed was a season low.

Jon Ezeokoli had 11 points to pace Bryant while Jerrann Wright added 10 points and 11 rebounds.

It took nearly six minutes for either team to score as Millinder would score the first basket of the game at the 14:16 mark of the first half.  AIC would use a 12-0 run to build a 14-2 lead with just under eight minutes left before halftime on a layup by McNeil.  Bryant would make it a 22-20 game with just over a minute left when an Ezeokoli basket capped a 11-2 Bryant run, but AIC would lead 25-20 at halftime after Dosado drained a three with 39 ticks on the clock.

Bryant would take its first lead of the game with 12:38 to play when a layup by Nathaniel Sudlow made it 36-34 in favor of the Bulldogs.  The hosts responded by scoring 10 unanswered points and a tip-in by Harrison with 9:10 left made it 44-36.  That would be part of a larger 18-2 run that gave AIC a 52-38 lead with 4:45 left on a pair of McNeil free throws.  The Bulldogs would get no closer than nine points the rest of the way.

The Yellow Jackets owned a commanding 47-31 rebounding advantage and held a 16-8 edge in the points off turnovers department.

            AIC returns to action Monday when it hosts Le Moyne in a 7:30 contest at Butova Gymnasium.