Springfield, Mass. - The women's basketball carried a three-point lead into the final 10 minutes this afternoon at American International College. The score would be tied with three minutes to go before the Yellow Jackets ended the contest on an 11-4 run to win, 69-62. Molloy sits an an even 2-2 with the loss while AIC improves to 3-1 in the victory.

How it Happened

• A three-pointer from junior Colleen McCullagh and layup from senior Danielle Hippner helped the Lions to an early lead. Another two points from McCullagh paired with a layup from junior Rosa Rizzitelli made it a six-point game, 10-4, with just over five minutes left to play in the first quarter.
• The Lions closed out the opening stanza with a pair of free throws from junior Sophia Yearwood and a layup from junior Casey Campo to lead, 14-4.
• The second quarter saw a 12-2 run in favor of the visitors to increase the lead to as much as 18, 26-8.
• The Molloy defense didn't allow AIC to net its first field goal until the first minute of the second frame. Once it was firing, however, the Yellow Jackets cut the deficit to single digits, 33-26, in the final minute of the half. A trey from Yearwood would send the teams to the locker room with the Lions leading, 36-26.
• Molloy maintained a double-digit advantage for much of the third frame, until eight points in just over a minute from AIC set the score at 49-42.
• The Lions went 4-for-4 from the foul line in the last minutes of the quarter, but AIC was able to close the gap to three points, 53-50, by the time the horn sounded.
• Just three points total were scored in the first four minutes of the final frame. With just under six minutes to play, AIC knotted the score at 54 with a layup from Keyvanna Bennett.
• A foul shot from Hippner and a layup from Rizzitelli regained an advantage for Molloy, but back-to-back field goals from the Yellow Jackets gave the home team its first lead of the afternoon, 58-57.
• McCullagh's foul shot at 3:28 to play tied the score once more, but Bennett converted a three-point play for AIC to put them back ahead, 61-58.
• Molloy would come within one, 63-62, on a layup from Yearwood, but the Lions were shut out in the final 90 seconds of play.

Top Performances

• Rizzitelli led the Lions with 19 points, shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor, and added seven rebounds and two steals.
• Yearwood netted 15 points off the bench, nine of which came on three-pointers, and also added seven boards.
• McCullagh had a double-double with 12 points and a team-leading 10 rebounds while adding two blocks.
• Hippner's three blocks paced the team, adding five points and three rebounds.
• Campo rounded out the top scorers with nine points and two steals.

Up Next
Molloy will take on Adelphi University on Saturday (Nov. 23) at 1:30 p.m. from Garden City, N.Y.