WATERBURY, Conn. – Senior guard Jayden Burns had a hot shooting night for Post University Women's Basketball, going 5-for-8 while making all three of her threes to lead the Eagles with 14 points. However, a 27-point fourth quarter for the visiting American International College Yellow Jackets helped them stave off a second-half comeback by Post, sending the Eagles to their seventh loss in eight games to start the season, 79-58. 

THE BASICS

Post University 58, AIC 79

Post University (1-7)
 
AIC (6-4)

HOW IT HAPPENED
A fast start for the Eagles saw them jump out to a quick five-point lead, 7-2, after baskets from graduate guard Erin Harris, sophomore guard Alyssa Rossignol, and a three from Burns while a cold streak saw the Yellow Jackets go nearly three minutes without a basket before sophomore guard Ruzgar Christina Boyle's layup jumpstarted a 12-2 run for AIC who took a 14-9 edge with 1:10 left in the first quarter. 

For the majority of the second quarter, it would be all Yellow Jackets who did not allow the Eagles to get a shot until their first basket of the quarter with 5:31 remaining in the half on Burns' layup. That scoring drought for Post, who had just one point up to that point on a free throw, allowed AIC to extend their 16-11 lead to a game-high 12 points, 24-12. Still in control by 11 points with 2:38 left in the half, a 7-0 run sparked by back-to-back threes from Burns and sophomore guard Hannah Finnerty brought the Eagles to within four points with 22 seconds left and the ball after a rebound by Burns on a missed free throw.

Both teams struggled to hold on to the ball with 15 turnovers for Post and 13 turnovers for AIC, leading to an 11-8 points off turnover margin in favor of the Eagles who trailed by five, 28-23, heading into the half after senior guard Chelsea Reeves hit one of her two free throws after being fouled with 0.3 seconds left.

Taking their first lead since they led 9-6 in the first, five early turnovers by the Yellow Jackets helped the Eagles go on a 6-0 run to tie the game at 30 all with 7:36 left in the third. Trailing by three, 35-32, a pair of Harris free throws and a three from Burns ignited Post's 5-0 run to give them a 37-35 lead and later on a free throw from the senior made it a 38-35 game at the midway point of the frame. Leading 43-42 after a jumper from Finnerty, that would be the last time the Eagles were in front as an 8-0 run by the Yellow Jackets ensued with five points from sophomore guard Ruzgar Christina Boyle.

Taking a seven-point lead into the fourth, 51-44, an 8-0 run to start the quarter put AIC back up by double digits for good en route to what would ultimately be a 19-point win, 78-59. The Yellow Jackets led by as many as 25 points down the stretch while freshman forward McKensi Forde saw her first collegiate minutes as an Eagle and scored her first points with a pair of free throws at the 3:35 mark. Senior forward Rhaymi Porter led the AIC defense with 13 rebounds and five blocks while Boyle led the offense with 20 points on 8-for-21 shooting after starting the game 2-for-11 from the field.

Three players finished in double figures for the visiting Yellow Jackets in Boyle, senior guard Chelsea Reeves with 15 points, and freshman forward Keyvanna Bennett with 10 points while the team shot 47.5% from the floor, including a blistering 60% overall in the second half alone. 

BY THE NUMBERS  

• Jayden Burns and Hannah Finnerty finished in double digits with 14 points and 13 points respectively while Burns went 5-for-8 overall and 3-for-3 from three, Finnerty went 5-for-11 overall and 1-for-5 from three
• Ruzgar Christina Boyle led AIC with 20 points on 8-for-21 shooting after starting the game 2-for-11 overall -- Boyle also tacked on seven assists
• In their first eight games of the season, Post University has committed 20-plus turnovers in each affair while doing so in just eight games throughout the entire 2023-24 season – The Eagles committed 23 turnovers in today's win
• Post University falls to 2-9 in the all-time series against AIC having lost the last two games in the last two years versus the Yellow Jackets 

WHO'S NEXT
Post University will embark on a three-game road trip over the next week starting on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 PM against Division I Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. This will be the first meeting in program history between the two schools.