FLUSHING, N.Y. (Feb. 13, 2019) – Down 56-53 with a little over seven minutes to play in regulation, the Queens College men's basketball team went on a 21-0 run that keyed the Knights to a 76-59 victory over Mercy College on Wednesday (Feb. 13) at Fitzgerald Gymnasium.
Queens (7-17, 7-7 ECC) was led by a 19-point effort from
Dwayne Henry Jr. as the sophomore guard also posted a team-high eight rebounds, four assists and two steals in the victory.
Keenan Gorski and
Elijah Bovell added 13 points apiece and the Knights were keyed by strong front-court play from reserves Chris Brizan (six points, five rebounds),
Kevin Buron (seven points, seven rebounds, three assists) and
Evan Goldberg (seven rebounds) to earn the important conference triumph.
Mercy (6-15, 4-9 ECC) saw Bryan Griffin score 19 points and pull down 11 rebounds with all seven of the Mavericks' blocks in the losing effort. Sal Barbetto added 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists for the visitors.
The Knights led by a 36-29 score at halftime, ending the opening period of play on a 15-3 run. Mercy would begin the second half of action on an 8-0 run with buckets by Griffin, Matthew Alectus and Amir Atkins to bring the visitors within a point at 36-35. A turn-around hook shot by
Wayne Li stopped the run briefly and after another spurt by the Mavericks, QC eventually led at the mid-point of the second half by a 49-47 margin. Griffin scored the next five points on a three-pointer and a jumper to give Mercy the lead back at 52-49, and the Mavs would led after a Barbetto lay-in by the 56-53 advantage with 7:20 to play.
Henry got the Knights rolling after that with a score-tying three-pointer that was followed by five straight points from
Tyrese Crosdale. Following a jumper by Gorski, Henry scored seven straight points to put the Knights ahead by a 70-59 margin; QC turned up the pressure and Mercy folded under the Knights' stifling defense.
The Knights are back in action on Saturday (Feb. 16) as the team heads up to Bridgeport for a pivotal conference showcase against Bridgeport. Tip-off from Harvey Hubbell Gymnasium is set for 3 p.m.
