Students entered raffles and took pictures at a pre-game bash to show support for AACC’s women’s basketball team before the last game of the season on Tuesday.

The Office of Student Engagement partnered with AACC Athletics and Dean of Student Development Deneen Dangerfield to organize the I Love Athletics Pre-game Bash event to support the women’s basketball team before their game against Rowan College South Jersey – Gloucester.

“We just want to make sure that we recognize and celebrate them,” Dangerfield said. “We want to be supportive.”

Seven students entered a raffle during the event and won prizes such as free shirts and gift cards at the game.

One winner, Anna Wall, a homeschooled junior in high school and member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, attended the event to support her sister Holly Wall, who is a forward on the team. Wall beat Amanda Wright, a third-year medical assisting student whose name was drawn at the same time, in a basketball shooting contest to win her shirt.

According to Wall, being an athlete helped her win the raffle competition.

“I knew I had a really good chance and I felt good about it,” Wall said. “I think if I weren’t … an athlete, I would not have won that.”

Wright said she was “disappointed” with the outcome.

“[I used to] play basketball when I was younger,” Wright said. “It made me feel sad that I didn’t win the raffle.”

According to Dangerfield, 2024 is the second year that the event and the raffle has been held.

“We try to do it around Valentine’s Day,” Dangerfield said. “That’s why it’s ‘I Love.’”

Dangerfield said the event is an opportunity to increase student involvement in sports games.

“[We] try to get everyone involved in going to the games,” Dangerfield said. “The attendance is not always robust at our home games.”

Head coach of AACC’s esports team Conway Johnson said he attended the event to get more involved on campus and immerse himself in sports culture.

“[The] campus athletics atmosphere is important regardless of what sport you’re in,” Johnson said. “It’s something I haven’t been doing as much as I probably should have been lately, so I’m trying to … rectify that.”

AACC lost to Rowan College South Jersey – Gloucester 48-61.

Ayannah Gorham, a second-year criminal justice law enforcement student and forward for the women’s basketball team, said the event brought a lot of “positive energy” even though the team lost.

“I never knew that we actually did events like that,” Gorham said. “I’m speaking for me and the girls … this is … one of the best games we played at home despite the loss.”