Flushing, N.Y. - The Queens College women's basketball team won its third-straight game on Friday night, using a second-half surge to defeat Roberts Wesleyan, 69-55, in an East Coast Conference matchup from Fitzgerald Gym.  With the win, the Knights improved to 8-3 overall, 3-1 in conference play.

QC put this game away in the first half, building an insurmountable, 15-point cushion.  Queens jumped off to a 7-0 lead in the first 90 seconds of action.  Eventually the lead reached double-digits when Madison Rowland nailed a jumper with about 13 minutes left, to put the Knights ahead, 21-11.  Less than two minutes later, the advantage grew to a dozen when Melissa Gardner score two of her 17 on a layup.  Gardner added a free throw in the closing seconds of the half to give Queens a 41-26 lead at the break.

With just under 11 minutes remaining in regulation, a Tara Fearon steal led to a Joya McFarland bucket that put Queens up, 51-35, its largest lead of the night.  The Red Hawks got as close as eight points, but the Knights pulled away for the win.

Madison Rowland finished with a game-high 23 points.  Gardner added 17.  MacKenzie Rowland chipped in with ten.

With an 8-3 record over its first 11 games, the women's basketball team has doubled its win total from the same 11-game stretch a year ago (they were 4-7).  The team looks for its fourth-consecutive win on Sunday, December 22, when they host Daemen College at 3:30 PM.