FLUSHING, N.Y. (Dec. 11, 2019) – Freshman forward Raiana Brown had 12 of her game-high 19 points in the first half as the Queens College women's basketball team opened East Coast Conference play with a 60-55 win over defending ECC champion New York Tech on Lucille Kyvallos Court at Fitzgerald Gymnasium Wednesday (Dec. 11).

The win moves the Knights' overall record on the season to 3-7 while New York Tech is now 5-6 on the 2019-20 campaign. QC is 1-0 in East Coast Conference games with the Bears dropping to 0-1 in conference competition, respectively.

Brown was nearly perfect from the field in the opening twenty minutes of play, hitting 5-of-6 through the first two quarters. The North Babylon native finished the evening with a 62% (8-13) rate from the field for the Knights and also pulled down nine rebounds and swatted five shots away. Zorria West added 18 points and 10 rebounds to collect her second straight double-double to go along with four assists while Brianne Moxley accumulated 11 rebounds on the night. Sophomore guard Nora Gabel had eight points, including five crucial free throws down the stretch to ice the game.

Shalie Frierson (12 points) was one of three players in double figures for New York Tech with ECC Preseason Player of the Year Meg Knollmeyer held to just seven points and eight rebounds in the losing effort.

Queens took a 2-0 lead on a lay-up by Brown and the Knights were able to keep the game close despite New York Tech leading for much of the first half. The Bears held a 16-11 advantage before two free throws by Tayanee Peay sparked a 5-0 run that culminated with Brown tying the score on a lay-up in the final seconds of the first. The visitors hit three shots from beyond the arc in the opening stages of the second period to claim a 25-18 lead but the Knights chipped away on a 12-7 run the rest of the way through to trail the Bears by a 34-30 margin at the break.

The Knights took the lead for good in the third quarter on a critical 7-0 run which began with Moxley hitting a tying jumper at the mid-point of the stanza to even the score at 37-all. Brown and West connected on field goals with Gabel knocking down a free throw to end the spurt; Queens led 46-43 at the end of the frame and West made two more jumpers to start the fourth quarter and build the Knights' advantage to a 50-45 margin. The Bears got within two points on a Zoe Amalbert fast-break three-pointer with 1:17 to play in regulation but Gabel's proficiency from the charity stripe iced the contest.

Queens shot 39% (20-51) from the floor and earned a strong performance at the free throw line to boot; the Knights knocked down 77% (20-26) of their attempts. QC also enjoyed a healthy plus-14 advantage in the rebound category, pulling down 40 boards to New York Tech's 26. The Bears were uncharacteristically cold from the field (31%) and the foul line (47%) in the contest.

Queens continues its brief two-game homestand on Saturday (Dec. 14) as the Knights host Molloy at 3:30 p.m. in Flushing. Fans can attend the contest for free by bringing a new, unwrapped toy to the game as part of the Queens College Toys for Tots initiative.