Boxscore

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Junior forward Devonne Richardson notched her second straight double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Goldey-Beacom College women's basketball team to a 60-52 win over tournament host American International College on Sun. afternoon at Butova Gymnasium.

The Lightning evened their record at 2-2 on the season while AIC, a member of the Northeast-10 conference, fell to 1-4 on the year after beating Bloomfield College last night.

Richardson led three Lightning scorers in double figures including fellow junior frontcourt mate Irene Hudson (14 points) and redshirt junior guard Ashley Rosario (12 points). Hudson has now scored in double-figures in all four Lightning games thus far and Rosario the last three.

More than half of the Yellowjackets' points came from Michelle Lafond and Rhea Pascal. Lafond was 5-of-10 from three-point range and 5-of-6 at the free-throw line to score a game-high 20 points and Pascal pitched in with 12 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.

Statistically, the Lightning out-shot AIC 38-percent to 28-percent from the field and 72-percent to 59-percent from the free-throw line. They took 25 free-throws as a team and made 18 while the Yellowjackets only made 10-of-17 attempts for the day. AIC made six three-point field goals to GBC's two, but took seven more attempts (17-10) in the process. The Yellowjackets also had a better assist-to-turnover ratio (15/8 to 11/11) and a narrow, 46-45 rebounding edge.

After falling behind 12-4 nearly six minutes into the action, head coach Jen Carleton called a timeout and settled her team down. As a result, the Lightning came storming back on a 15-2 run led by three Richardson layups, one of which resulted in an old-fashioned three-point play. Back and forth the two teams went until a pair of Chelsea Grover free-throws put GBC in front 24-23 just past the five-minute mark, and the Lightning would close out the half on a 14-4 surge and take a 36-27 lead into the intermission. The Lightning have led at halftime of all four games this season.

With a minute gone by in the second half, GBC had the largest advantage held all day by either team (12) after a fastbreak layup by Hudson, but the Yellowjackets began to peck away at the Lightning lead. Helped by two Lafond three-pointers and two Pascal buckets, AIC used a 13-3 run to close the gap to 42-41 as the game approached the nine-minute mark.

Still clinging to a one-point advantage (45-44), an Ashley Rosario jumper and Briana Richmond-Peters layup pushed the Lightning lead back to five with 4:20 left to play. GBC would have to endure one last Yellowjacket push though as Lafond made a pair of free-throws and Pascal converted a conventional three-point play on a lay-up and a foul to force the first tie of the half at 49-all with 2:34 showing on the clock.

On the ensuing possession, Rosario hoisted her first three-point attempt of the season and knocked it down to put GBC back in front, 52-49 with 2:12 to go. Then, after Richardson gathered the rebound off of a Lafond three-point miss, Rosario dished to Taylor Leonard at the other end and Leonard came through with a make on what was also her first three-point attempt of the season in a crucial situation. With Leonard's three, the Lightning led 55-49 with 1:46 to play. Richardson would make a layup at the 1:06 mark and combine with Hudson to make 3-of-4 at the line down the stretch to cement the victory for GBC.

The Lightning travel to Sparkill, N.Y. on Tues. night to take on non-conference foe Saint Thomas Aquinas College at 5:30 p.m.