Women's Basketball Downs UMass Lowell 57-46
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The American International College women's basketball team improved to 11-6 on the season and 8-5 in the Northeast-10 with a 57-46 win over UMass Lowell Tuesday night at Butova Gymnasium. Senior forward Alexis Castro (Chula Vista, Calif.) scored a game-high 25 points to lead the Yellow Jackets to the win.
AIC led 13-5 at the 13:13 mark of the first half before UMass Lowell went on an 11-2 run capped off by a bucket from senior forward Liron Asher (Givataim, Isreal) to take its only lead of the game at 16-15 with 8:33 left in the first half.
The Yellow Jackets regained the lead for good on their next possession on a layup from graduate student guard Alissa Rubino (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) and ended the first half on a 16-4 run to take a 31-20 lead at halftime. Castro scored 15 of her 25 points in the first half, hitting six of her eight shots from the floor.
The River Hawks scored twice in the opening minute of the second half before AIC extended its lead to 18 and put the game out of reach. The 12-2 run was capped off by a jumper from senior forward Mimi Francois (Miami, Fla.) with 13:01 left in the game.
UMass Lowell closed to within nine at 55-46 with 1:50 remaining in the contest before Rubino closed the scoring with a pair of free throws a minute later.
Francois finished with eight points, five rebounds and two blocked shots and Rubino chipped in with six points, four rebounds and two assists. Sophomore forward Sasha Lowery (Paterson, N.J.) also finished with six points and grabbed four rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench.
Asher scored a team-best 12 points for the River Hawks and sophomore guard Tricia Tracey (Glastonbury, Conn.) added eight points.
The Yellow Jackets shot 44.4 percent (20-45) from the field, despite a 2 for 16 performance from 3-point range, and shot 71.4 percent (15-21) at the free throw line. UMass Lowell shot just 35.4 percent (17-48) from the field and was 4 of 14 from downtown.
AIC, which ranks 16th nationally in scoring defense, held its opponent to under 50 points for the third straight game and for the eight time this season.
The Yellow Jackets return to action Saturday when they host
Saint Michael's at 1:30 p.m. in a Northeast-10 contest.