WATERBURY, Conn. – On paper, Sunday's matchup between Post University Women's Basketball and American International College (AIC) would not have been anticipated to be close as the Yellow Jackets entered the day a perfect 5-0 with four wins coming by double-digit margins, while the Eagles had lost all three of their games so far by double digits. But paper does not play the games, and Post showed that on Sunday as junior forward Alyssa Rossignol's buzzer-beater off her own rebound with less than three seconds in overtime shocked the Yellow Jackets in the 2025-26 home opener for the Eagles in the Drubner Center, 81-79.

With only seven active players due to injury, one of which in junior forward Emma Carman, who would foul out in the overtime session, Post used a season-best 30-for-34 afternoon from the free throw line as a team and 30 points from Rossignol on 10-of-17 shooting to hold off AIC for their first win of the season in dramatic fashion. 

THE BASICS

Post University 81, AIC 79 (OT)

Post University (1-3)

AIC (5-1)

HOW IT HAPPENED
This was a game that Post would not trail for the entirety of the first half, jumping out to as big as a 15-point lead, 30-15, as AIC struggled to shoot in the opening frame to the tune of a 2-for-17 (11.7%) shooting performance overall, while the Eagles shot an even 50% from the field, propelling them to a 10-point lead, 21-11. Sophomore guard Kamryn Porter led the way in that first quarter with eight points, four of which came from the free-throw line to open up the scoring for the Eagles, while six each came from both Rossignol and Carman. 

But AIC would find its groove in the second, mainly in the form of sophomore forward Keyvanna Bennett as she went off for 12 points on 6-for-7 shooting, in a frame where the AIC shooting improved to 9-for-21 (42.9%), while holding Post's offense in check to a game-worse 30.8% shooting, going 4-for-13 overall with one three made. Ahead 30-15 with 5:21 remaining in the half, 15-2 run by the Yellow Jackets gave them visitors momentum heading into the second half after Bennett scored eight straight points in the paint. 

While AIC shot only 28.9% from the floor in the first half, they would have a myriad of chances with 14 offensive rebounds and collecting 28 total rebounds, which was 11 more than Post was able to control through 20 minutes. Nonetheless, second-chance points would see both teams tied at just two points each, allowing Post to maintain its slim advantage, which would not last too long into the third quarter.

After opening the third on a 5-0 run courtesy of a three-ball from senior forward Claire Greene to kick off the frame, AIC would answer back with a 5-0 run of their own off the back of graduate guard Tia-Marie Martinez's three, eventually turning it into a two-point lead, 41-39, when Martinez connected on a three and then a layup in quick succession. The 39-39 tie that preceded the go-ahead basket for the Yellow Jackets marked the first time since tip-off in which the game was tied, as well as the first time Post trailed in the affair.

Despite Post heading into the fourth quarter ahead by five following a pair of free throws from Rossignol, Martinez's hot shooting was keeping AIC in the contest after she went off for 11 of the 19 points the Yellow Jackets scored in the third, shooting 4-for-7 overall and 3-for-6 from three. The Eagles would maintain as large as an eight-point edge with 3:22 left in regulation, before a Yellow Jacket blitz would end up forcing the game to overtime. 

Still trailing by seven with 2:42 to go following a Rossignol jumper, Bennett and graduate guard Chelsea Reeves made it a three-point game only about 30 seconds later after they connected on a pair of jumpers, and after a few back-and-forth opportunities at the free throw line between a layup from junior guard Ruzgar Christina Boyle, the Yellow Jackets would trail by one with 28 seconds left. While Rossignol would hit a pair of free throws to re-up Post's lead to three points, 71-68, Martinez would nail a game-tying three with 12.5 seconds to go, and the affair would head to overtime after Porter was forced into a turnover and Bennett missed the half-court heave. 

While Boyle and Reeves opened up the five-minute overtime with a 6-0 run for AIC, Post would never waver as Rossignol scored all 10 points of the extra session for the Eagles. Hitting six straight free throws to tie the game at 77, she would also hit the game-tying layup following Bennett's go-ahead score and set up the game-winning opportunity for the Eagles all on her own. Following her game-tying layup with 53 seconds left, Rossignol would steal the ball away from Reeves with 29 seconds left, giving Post the last shot in which the junior missed her initial shot with three seconds left, grabbed her own rebound and floated up the game-winner at the buzzer to complete the first win of the season for the Eagles, 81-79, in overtime.

Rossignol played a team-high 41 minutes, scoring 30 points on 10-for-17 shooting as she and Porter went 10-for-10 from the free-throw line, while grabbing seven rebounds, forcing three steals, and recording one assist. The Eagles were outrebounded by a 49-40 margin, including 25-6 on the offensive glass, but AIC held only a 10-7 edge in second-chance points. Bennett finished as the leading scorer for the Yellow Jackets in their first loss of the season with 22 points on 8-for-17 shooting overall and nine rebounds. 

BY THE NUMBERS   

• Alyssa Rossignol scored a season-high 30 points on 10-for-17 (58.5%) shooting overall, while going a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line -- Rossignol's career high in points sits at 32 points against Chestnut Hill College last year at home
• Four players finished in double figures for Post University as Alyssa Rossignol led the way with 30 points, followed by 18 points from Kamryn Porter and 10 points each from Claire Greene and Tiara Tyson
• After shooting a season-best 61.1% from the free-throw line last game, Post University erupted from the charity stripe with a 30-for-34 showing, ending at 88.2% for the game
• In two-plus seasons with Head Coach Courtney Burns, Post University is now 4-1 in games that go to overtime, with the one loss being last season on the road to the University of New Haven, 68-66

 
WHO'S NEXT
The Eagles return to conference play with three consecutive games, starting with a road matchup against the University of Bridgeport on Wednesday at 5:00 PM. Post has won seven consecutive games against the Purple Knights since the 2021-22 season after losing the previous eight before that.