Springfield, Mass. – Dana Watts gave her team the lead with 45 seconds left as American International College recorded a 73-69 win over the Le Moyne College women's basketball team on Tuesday night in Northeast-10 Conference action at Butova Gymnasium.

Freshman guard Liz Millea (Cooperstown, N.Y./Cooperstown) led the Dolphins offensively with 14 points, all of which came in the second half. Junior guard Ellie Leszyk (Horseheads, N.Y./Horseheads) tallied 13 points and five rebounds in her first start of the season.

Watts finished the game with a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds, which included 12 points and seven rebounds in the first half. Jayda Gilmore led all scorers in the game with 23 points, 16 of which came in the second half. Imani Stepney also posted a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds, with 15 of her points coming in the second half.

After the Yellow Jackets scored the first three points of the game, the Dolphins scored 11 of the next 15 points over 2:27. Leszyk drained a three-pointer, junior forward Joanna Dobrovosky (Skaneateles, N.Y./Skaneateles) recorded a conventional three-point play, Leszyk knocked down a jumper and then freshman guard McKayla Roberts (North Syracuse, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) drained a three-pointer.

American International countered with a 6-1 run to even the score at 15 with 22 seconds left in the quarter. Watts scored four of the points around a lay-up by Dominique Boyd.

Senior guard Ailayia Demand (Watervliet, N.Y./Watervliet) hit a jumper from the right corner in the final seconds of the quarter to give the Dolphins a 17-15 lead at the end of the period.

The Dolphins scored six of the first nine points of the second quarter to extend their lead to five again with 7:20 remaining.

The Yellow Jackets answered a 16-6 run over the last seven minutes of the quarter to take a 34-29 lead into halftime. Rashana Siders led the streak with a pair of three-pointers, Watts posted five points, Stepney made three free throws and Tanisha Moyer converted a jumper to start the run.

American International tallied eight of the first 10 points of the third quarter to extend its lead to a game-best nine points. Gilmore registered six of the points, while Stepney score the other two.

After the teams traded points, Le Moyne rattled off 12 of the next 14 points to take the lead. Millea led the charge with five points, while Dobrovosky bookended the run with jumpers.

Each team scored two points over the final 61 seconds of the quarter as the Dolphins took a 49-48 lead into the final period.

Following a three-point play by Stepney to start the fourth quarter, the Dolphins tallied 11 of the next 15 points to take a 60-55 lead with 7:43 remaining in the game. Millea drained a trio of three-pointers in the stretch around a fast-break lay-up by freshman forward Colleen Corcoran (Beverly, Mass./Bishop Fenwick).

After the teams split the game's next 10 points, AIC recorded a 9-2 run to take a two-point lead with 1:17 to play. Stepney scored the first four points, Watts followed with a lay-up, Alyssa Guyon made a lay-up for the lead and Gilmore made a free throw for a 69-67 lead.

After Demand tied the score with a lay-up with 59 seconds left, Watts made four free throws over the final 45 seconds of the game.

Le Moyne (6-3, 3-2 NE10), which has dropped back-to-back games, is back in action on Saturday at Southern Connecticut State University at 1:30 p.m.