NO. 13 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PULLS AWAY FROM SAINT ROSE 64-54
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (February 17, 2007) -
Alexis Castro (Chula Vista, Calif.) recorded her 16th
double-double of the season with 23 points and 16 rebounds to lead
No. 13 American International College to a 64-54 Northeast-10
women's basketball win over Saint Rose Saturday afternoon.
The win moves the Yellow Jackets into second place in the NE-10
with a 21-5 overall record and a 16-5 NE-10 record, while the
Golden Knights are now 20-7 and 16-6 in the league.
AIC's win, combined with Pace's 78-74 loss at Saint Michael's Saturday, ensures the Yellow Jackets can finish no lower than fourth and will earn a first-round bye to the upcoming Northeast-10 Tournament.
Castro, who was named the Esther Frary Hansen MVP of the game, finished 7-15 from the floor and 9-11 at the free throw line. Jeannette Johnathan (Central Islip, N.Y.) tallied 13 points, draining three three-pointers, while Stacy Boisvert (Agawam, Mass.) added 11 points and seven rebounds. Emily Gottstein was the lone Golden Knight in double figures as she finished with 10 points.
AIC, which never trailed in the first half, opened up a 14-7 lead six minutes into the game on a layup by Castro. Saint Rose would use a 8-2 run to make it 16-15 with 10:39 left before intermission, but back-to-back three-pointers by Lexanne Dickerson (Carthage, Ill.) made it 28-21 with 3:54 left. The Golden Knights closed out the first half on a 9-2 run and tied the game at 30 on a Julie Reilly basket with 1:11 left.
Saint Rose took its first lead of the game early in the second half on a Gottstein three, but Johnathan responded with a three to tie the game at 35-all. After six ties in the second half, AIC would take the lead for good with 8:53 to play on a layup by Castro. That was part of a 7-0 spurt that saw AIC lead 51-46 on a Johnathan three at the 7:55 mark.
The guests would get the lead down to three, 55-52 with 3:31 left on a Lauren Revesz basket, but the Yellow Jackets would outscore Saint Rose 9-2 the rest of the way, with AIC going 9-10 at the charity stripe over the final 2:42 to secure the victory.
AIC outrebounded Saint Rose 45-36 and limited Saint Rose to just 29% shooting in the second half. The hosts would go 21-28 at the charity stripe, while the Golden Knights were successful on just 12 of their 19 trips to the line.
AIC closes out the regular season Tuesday when
it travels to Pace for a 5:30 contest.