Women's basketball pushes past Ravens
SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - The American International College women's basketball team surpassed its overall and Northeast-10 Conference win total from the previous season with a 68-61 win over Franklin Pierce University on Saturday, January 21.
AIC is now 11-8 on the year and 8-4 in the NE10; the team went 10-16 with a 7-12 NE10 record a year ago.
Though Kenzie Sirowich hit the first basket of the game, AIC rushed out to an early lead as Rosa Vreugd hit a pair of shots and Taylor Tomlinson followed. However, the Ravens bounced back, and took the lead back on a Colette Mulderig layup. Ultimately, Franklin Pierce held a 13-11 lead after one.
As in the first, the Ravens made the initial basket to open the second, and then extended their lead to 17-11. The teams traded buckets, but a Tia-Marie Martinez shot started an AIC run of 13-2 as Martinez hit a shot through contact and then added the free throw, Robinson scored a pair at the line and one from the field, and Tomlinson hit a variety of shots; AIC's 28-21 edge grew to 34-25 at halftime, with Robinson scoring the last four of the frame in the final minute.
The back-and-forth play continued in the third, with the Ravens cutting the deficit to five but Robinson hitting a three through contact and adding the free throw for a four-point play; AIC led 40-31 at that point, but the Ravens rallied, shrinking AIC's edge to just one on a Mulderig jumper late. Martinez responded with a three, but Ines Gimenez Monserrat also landed a long shot, and AIC led just 49-48 after three.
AIC held the Ravens at bay early in the fourth, with Julia Carbonell Munoz and Nora Young each making shots to maintain AIC's lead, and Tomlinson added to the advantage at the midpoint of the frame with another layup. That proved crucial, as the Ravens notched the next five to pull within a 56-55 score, but Tomlinson drew a foul and sank the free throws. She also responded to a triple from the guests with a jumper and layup, ultimately putting the game away at 64-58 with 1:22 left; AIC hit its free throws in the final minute for the 68-61 final.
Tomlinson's 26 was a game-high total, and she led AIC with six rebounds as well as three steals and two blocks. Robinson scored 17, with 10 coming at the line, and Martinez had 10 points on the game.
AIC breaks from NE10 play for a matchup with Queens College on Tuesday, January 24 at 4:00 p.m.