Queens, N.Y. - Wednesday night's 67-66 victory over Dowling was the third straight win for the Queens College men's basketball team and helped them solidify a stranglehold on the fifth spot in the upcoming East Coast Conference championship.  George Holmes' (Gordon Heights, N.Y./Nassau C.C.) driving layup in the closing seconds capped a remarkable comeback that saw the Knights erase a 17-point deficit to earn the win and improve to 10-7 in the East Coast Conference.

The Knights opened the game by posting their largest lead, six points, as Daniel Watson (Mt. Vernon, N.Y./Mt. Vernon) made two free throws with Patrick Parker (Queens, N.Y./Alfred State) and Kevin Nascimento (Harlem, N.Y./Genesee C.C.) making consecutive three-pointers, as QC led 8-2 with 16:10 remaining.  The Golden Lions responded by grabbing a lead they wouldn't relinquish until the Holmes basket in the closing seconds; when Darien Davis connected on a three-point-play at the 13:40 mark.  Dowling eventually built up a game-high, 17-point lead, and took a 40-25 cushion into halftime.

Queens began the second half by increasing the defensive intensity which led to a 10-0 run over the first two and a half minutes of action.  Holmes and Parker accounted for four points each in that spurt, with the other two coming Patrick Modzelewski (Brooklyn, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy).  Suddenly, a 17-point advantage was reduced to five, 40-35.

A Parker layup with over 11 minutes remaining got the Knights within one possession, 46-43, but Dowling immediately answered by pushing the lead back to nine point, with just under 8 minutes remaining.

The final five minutes saw the Knights outscore the Golden Lions, 12-4 to steal the victory.  An Abe Akanmu (Staten Island, N.Y./Xaverian) layup with two minutes left made the score 65-62 for Dowling. 

With :30 left and the Knights down a point following two Holmes foul shots, Akanmu stole the ball and went the length of the court for a shot that was blocked.  From there, Luke Mercurio (Hampton Bays, N.Y./Hampton Bays) picked up the loose ball and Queens used their final timeout to run a play.  On the ensuing inbounds, Holmes got the ball at the top of the key, slashed through traffic and put the ball off the glass for the go-ahead bucket, sealing a 67-66 win.

In the win, Parker, the reigning ECC Player of the Week, scored a game-high 21 points, while Holmes recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

The Knights close out their regular season on Saturday, March 2, against STAC at home.  The 4:00 PM start will be preceded by Senior Day ceremonies honoring Watson and Nir Mor (Woodmere, N.Y./Solomon Schechter).