FLUSHING, N.Y. (Jan. 30, 2019) - Despite a 21-point performance from senior guard
Kaitlyn Mahon, the Queens College women's basketball team could not recover from an early 11-2 deficit as NYIT claimed a wire-to-wire victory over the Knights by a score of 78-60 on Wednesday (Jan. 30).
NYIT (17-3, 9-1 ECC) grabbed a 6-0 lead on the game's first three possessions with back-to-back threes from Emily Novick and Taylor Tripptree. Queens (3-15, 2-8 ECC) got on the board thanks to a jumper by Mahon as she led a spirited comeback with the Knights keeping the Bears scoreless for six-and-a-half minutes in the opening frame. After Ketsia Athias put home a lay-up with seven minutes left in the first quarter,
Maia Fawcett posted a three-pointer that sent QC on 9-0 run to tie the score at 11-all. A lay-up by Tiara Place and a buzzer-beating three-ball from Shalie Frierson, however, put NYIT up by a 16-11 margin at the end of the period. Queens would storm back in the second quarter and keep the game close with a Mahon three-pointer at the buzzer sending the teams into halftime with the visitors up by a 32-25 score. Queens would not grab the lead in the second half as NYIT---despite having just six players dressed for the game---paced play through the final buzzer.
Mahon's 21 points came on a 9-for-19 shooting performance with five assists and three rebounds, while
Lucy Tougas and
Beth Bonin added 11 points apiece.
Emer Moloney pulled down 11 rebounds in the losing effort as Grant scored six points. Queens shot 24-of-69 (35%) from the floor but only hit 5-of-15 from beyond the three-point line to go along with a 58% (7-12) clip from the free throw line.
Place's 22 points were the game-high as four of NYIT's five starters reached double-figures in points. Tripptree hit five three-pointers on her way to 21 points while Frierson almost collected a double-double (15 points, eight assists). Athias, however, achieved her double-double on a night in which she scored ten points and pulled down 18 rebounds. The Bears shot 55% (12-22) from beyond the arc and hit 85% (22-26) of their free throws in the win.
The Knights will look to regroup on Saturday (Feb. 2) with a 1:30 p.m. showcase at LIU Post in Brookville.
