FLUSHING, N.Y. (Dec. 11, 2019) – The Queens College men's basketball team enjoyed a 22-6 advantage early in the first half but needed a steely resolve to hold off a second-half charge from New York Tech in a 73-68 thriller at Fitzgerald Gymnasium on Wednesday (Dec. 11).

Queens is now 2-8 on the year and 1-0 in ECC action while New York Tech is 1-10 for the season and 0-1 in conference play.

Elijah Bovell put together another stellar performance for the Knights with 29 points on the evening to lead all scorers; the junior guard shot 10-of-20 (50%) from the field and hit all but one (8-of-9) of his free throws and added eight rebounds, as well. David Grady III had 13 points for QC with both Tyrese Crosdale and Kevin Buron collecting 11 points in the victory, with Buron snatching a team-high nine rebounds.

Jeffrey Hayden led the visiting Bears with 25 points and Brandon Redendo added 14 for New York Tech in the effort.

The Knights opened the contest with buckets by Bovell and Shomari Redd and a Buron three-ball put QC ahead by a 9-2 margin with three minutes-plus played in the opening frame. Hayden answered with a jumper for the Bears but from that point on, it was all Queens. The hosts scored the next 11 points and went on a 13-2 run to take the aforementioned 22-6 edge with eight minutes gone by in the frame. Queens would enjoy the lead as New York Tech chipped away slowly and marginally with the Knights taking a 40-26 advantage into the locker rooms at halftime.

In the second half, the Bears stormed back into play as QC went cold from the field; at one point, the Knights shot just 2-of-16 from the floor and New York Tech's 23-10 run brought the visitors within a possession and a point at 50-49 with just over seven minutes remaining in regulation. The Bears tied the game twice down the stretch with a bucket by Opong Bramble evening the score at 60-60 with three-and-a-half minutes to play. Crosdale would convert a three-point play on both ends of the final media timeout and a Bovell bucket on the Knights' next possession put QC up by five; this would key the Knights ultimately to the victory.

Queens shot 42% (28-66) from the field in the win and the Knights were clutch at the free-throw line, hitting 14-of-18 (78%) overall and knocking down 11-of-13 attempts in the second half.

Queens continues its brief two-game homestand on Saturday (Dec. 14) as the Knights host Molloy at 1:30 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.