PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (Nov. 10, 2019) - An offensive surge in the first quarter shepherded by rookies in their debut contest guided the Queens College women's basketball team to a 63-58 victory over Jefferson University on Saturday (Nov. 9) at Sorgenti Arena on the campus of Chestnut Hill University.

The win was impressive for the Knights considering that the team not only started four freshmen but also was facing a Rams squad that went 29-3 a season ago and finished the year ranked No. 17 in the nation; Jefferson was receiving top-25 consideration votes to begin the 2019-20 season.

Harmony Philo began her QC career with a flourish, scoring a team-high 18 points on six three-pointers while Raiana Brown added 14 points and nine rebounds in the victory. Zorria West played strongly in her Queens debut as the junior transfer added nine points and eight rebounds with rookie guards Brianne Moxley and Tayanee Peay combining for 14 points, eight assists and six rebounds in the win.

Alynna Williams had a game-high 25 points for Jefferson, the only Rams player in double-figures on the evening.

The game can best be summed up in two stark performances from the opening half of play: in the first quarter, Queens shot 11-for-13 from the floor (85%) and hit 4-of-5 from beyond the three-point line as the Knights raced out to a 26-10 lead. Queens would lead 40-19 at the halftime break as Jefferson scored nine points on free throws in the second period; the Rams were 0-for-13 from the floor in the middle stanza. While Jefferson did trudge back into the contest in the second half, the lead never dipped below the final margin.

Queens continues its season-opening road swing on Sunday (Nov. 10) by taking on the host Griffins of Chestnut Hill at 2 p.m.