Springfield, Mass. (January 24) -- On Saturday afternoon at Butova Gym, the Assumption College women's basketball team dropped a 61-45 final to American International College in Northeast-10 Conference action. The Hounds are receiving votes in the D2SIDA National Poll and ranked fourth in the D2SIDA East Region Poll.
The Hounds jumped out to a quick 4-0 edge and continued to lead at 10-8 with 15:48 left in the first after a layup from senior captain Caitlin Ackerman (Nashua, N.H./Nashua South). A quick 5-0 run that was capped by a three from Brianna Bishop put the Yellow Jackets in front 13-10 as an overall 16-4 run pushed the AIC lead into double digits at 24-14 with 7:09 remaining.
Assumption trailed 26-18 after a Krista Ferrentino jumper with 2:12 on the clock, but that lead was cut to six on a right side jumper by sophomore Shayla Hubbard (Laconia, N.H./New Hampton Prep) just as the shot clock was about to expire. Eventually closing out the first half scoring was junior captain Kelly Conley (Ellington, Conn./Ellington), who dropped in a corner three to make it a 28-23 margin heading into the break.
Hubbard paced the Hounds with six points in the half as Assumption shot 34.5 percent from the field in the period. AIC connected on 52 percent of its shots over the first 20 minutes while also holding a slight 17-13 advantage on the glass.
In the second, the Hounds closed to within seven a number of times, including with 16:33 remaining on a layup from junior Ann Marie Idusuyi (Lynn, Mass./St. Mary's), to make it a 34-27 game. An 11-2 AIC run, capped by a Ferrentino putback, stretched the lead back out to 45-29 at the 13:54 mark.
The Yellow Jackets extended the advantage out to 18 points on a three-point play from Kamika Mason in the final minutes before a long jumper from Allison Stoddard (East Lyme, Conn./East Lyme) with 27 seconds left accounted for the 61-45 final.
Hubbard tied her career high with a 12-point showing, along with nine points by Conley and a team-best five rebounds from sophomore Jaclyn Storey (Cumberland, Maine/Greely). Ferrentino led the Yellow Jackets with a 22-point, 11-rebound double-double as she finished 11-for-14 from the field, along with 13 points from Mason.
The Yellow Jackets held a 33-25 rebounding advantage, while the Hounds outscored the AIC bench by a 22-5 margin and forced 11 Yellow Jacket turnovers.
Assumption drops to 11-6 overall and 6-6 in Northeast-10 play, while AIC evens its record at 10-10 overall and 5-7 in the league.
Assumption is back in action on Tuesday, January 27th as the Hounds travel to Pace University for a 5:30 p.m. start in Pleasantville, N.Y.
For the latest on Assumption College Athletics, follow the Hounds via social media on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. For more information, contact the Office of Athletic Communications at 508-767-7240.
