BRYANT MEN RALLY TO TOP YELLOW JACKETS 72-68
SMITHFIELD, R.I.
(November 18,
2006) - Magen McNeil
(Philadelphia, Pa.) finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds to pace
American International College, but host Bryant University rallied
to take a 72-68 win in non-conference men's basketball at the Chace
Center Saturday night. Both teams evened their record at 1-1
overall on the season.
McNeil finished 7-12 from the floor and canned a pair of three-pointers. Aikeem Vanderhorst (Bay Shore, N.Y.) was the other Yellow Jacket in double figures, as he added 12 points. Brandon Carter (Wilmington, Del.) was 3-6 from behind the arc and finished with nine points. Jon Ezeokoli led four Bulldogs in double figures with 18 points.
AIC held a 46-35 halftime lead and led 58-50 following a three-pointer by Carter with just over 11 minutes to play. Bryant would then score seven straight points and an Andrew Lyell layup with just over nine minutes to go to make it 58-57. McNeil would convert a pair of free throws to make it 60-57, but five straight points by the Bulldogs gave them the lead, a Chris Burns trifecta with 8:03 on the clock made it 62-60.
Carter would reclaim the lead for the Yellow Jackets when his three at the 5:59 mark made it 65-63 and basket by McNeil with just under four minutes left extended that lead to five at 68-63. Back-to-back threes by Burns, the second coming with 1:47 left, gave Bryant the lead for good at 69-68. After two empty AIC trips, a pair of free throws by Ezeokoli with 15 seconds left made it 71-68, giving the guests one last chance. Three-point attempts by Carter and Vernon Dupree (Wilmington, Del.) were off the mark and Dan Hammond would come down with the rebound and make 1-of-2 at the line to account for the final.
American International shot a blistering 57.6% from the floor and drained five of its six three point attempts in the opening 20 minutes to build an 11-point halftime advantage. The Yellow Jackets led most of the way in the opening 20 minutes and outscored Bryant 19-10 over the final seven minutes of the first half. A basket by Lucius Millinder (Belleville, N.J.) with 10 seconds left before intermission gave AIC its largest lead of the game, 46-33.
AIC outrebounded Bryant 35-28 but was haunted by 20 turnovers as opposed to 11 for the hosts. The Bulldogs also made 10 more trips to the free throw line, going 14-19 at the stripe, while the Yellow Jackets were 7-9.
AIC opens Northeast-10 play Tuesday night when
it hosts Pace in a 7:30 tilt at Butova Gymnasium.