SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The NYIT Bears used a 38-point second half to defeat The College of Saint Rose women's basketball team 64-49 Saturday afternoon at the American International Tournament at Henry A. Butova Gymnasium.

The loss for Saint Rose marked the fourth in a row, bringing its overall record to 3-7, while the Bears improved to 8-1 on the season.

Senior guard Gabie Polce and junior forward Sarah Illingworth posted 11 points each to lead the Golden Knights. Illingworth also grabbed 11 boards, a season-high for her, her first double-double of the season, and shared a team-high three assists with junior guard Tyler Hansne. Sophomore forward Staci Barrett went perfect from the line, shooting 6-for-6.

Heading into halftime trailing by one, Saint Rose gave up a 9-2 run to open the second half. The Bears kept pushing and did not let the Golden Knights within more than four throughout the remainder of the game. NYIT led by as much as 19 at one point, and collected 26 points in the paint and 15 off the bench.

The first half posed a different script and a neck-and-neck battle as the score sat tied seven times. The Golden Knights led by as much as five with just over eight minutes to play, but the Bears battled back to tie the game at 20-20. Saint Rose collected five more points, while NYIT grabbed six, including a pair of free throws from senior guard Monique Walker, to put the Bears ahead of Saint Rose heading into the break.  

The Golden Knights wrap up tournament play and the semester schedule on Sunday at 3:30 pm against Post. Saint Rose will take a break for the holiday season, and kick off the January schedule at American International on Saturday, January 3 at 1:30 pm. 

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