AMHERST, N.Y. – Four different players scored in double figures as the Queens College men's basketball team ended their fall road portion of the schedule on a high note with a victory over #5 D2SIDA regional-ranked Daemen University Wildcats inside Lumsden Gymnasium in East Coast Conference action.
Led by a career-high 21 points from sophomore
Sunnie Diamond (Hiram, GA), senior
Tyler Carey (Bay Shore, N.Y.) second consecutive double-double in conference play with 10 points and a team-high 13 rebounds, and a combined 21 points performance from the sophomore duo of
Shamar Chester (Queens, N.Y.) and
Tyron Wright (Camby, IN), the Knights defeated the Wildcats to the final score of 70-65 Sunday afternoon.
With the win, the Knights moved to 4-4 overall and 1-1 in conference play on the season.
Sunday's victory saw head coach
Matt Collier and his Knights end an 11-game losing streak over the Wildcats and earned Queens their first victory in Amherst in 10 contests.
It was the first victory over Daemen since the 71-56 victory during the 2015-16 season which came inside Fitzgerald Gymnasium on February 28, 2016.
Game Recap
Wright led the Knights offense in the opening minutes of the game knocking down two shots from long distance to keep pace with the Wildcats before the home side went up 8-6 at the 15:21 mark.
Diamond and Wright would combine for a 9-0 run from the 14:48 mark to the 12:31 mark as Queens jumped ahead by seven, 15-8 forcing Daemen to take a timeout.
With the Wildcats struggling on their offensive end, Queens continued to build their lead as layups by sophomores
Jayden Seraphin (Lakeview, N.Y.) and
Elijah Blackman (Queens, N.Y.) put the Knights up by 11, 19-8 with 10:34 left in the first half.
Free throw shooting would keep Daemen in the game as they looked to keep the Knights advantage below 10 points. After the Wildcats cut the deficit down to right, a second chance bucket by Carey would the Knights back up by 10, 23-10 with 7:38 left until halftime.
Following Carey's bucket, Queens would go scoreless until the 5:26 mark before a jumper by Diamond stopped the scoreless drought and put the Knights on a 9-4 run from the 5:26 mark to the 1:49 mark to extend their lead back up to 11, 32-21.
Despite the Wildcats ending the first half on a 6-2 run, Queens would take a seven-point edge of 34-27 into halftime.
Looking to keep their first half momentum going, Chester tallied six points from the 19:34 mark to the 14:20 mark as the Knights opened the second half on a 10-5 run as they took a 12-point lead (
their largest of the game) of 44-32.
Daemen would not go away quietly as they rallied back with a 19-7 run from the 13:45 mark to the 6:41 mark to knot the game 51-51.
In a game that saw five ties and four lead exchanges, the Knights would keep their nerves to close out the game with a victory.
Queens would tally a 13-3 run over the next 4:21 minutes of play as Diamond and Carey combined for 13 points as the Knights reclaimed a 10-point edge of 64-54.
The Knights would hold the Wildcats to 0-4 from the field and forced three turnovers in their final run.
But Daemen would attempt one final run of their own as they cut a Queens 10-point edge down to two, 64-62 with 33 seconds left in the game.
With the Wildcats looking to stop the clock, free throw shooting would help Queens icy the game as they went 6-6 in the 32 seconds of the game to earn their first ECC victory of the season to the final score of 70-65.
Game Highlights
- Diamond tallied a career-high 21 points (8-15 FG) to go with six rebounds, four steals, and two blocks.
- Carey recorded his second double-double in conference play and third of the season with 10 points (5-12 FG), 13 rebounds, and four blocks.
- For the second straight game, the Bay Shore native recorded four blocks.
- Wright tallied 11 points (4-6 FG, 3-4 3PT), while Chester tallied 10 points (2-9 FG) to go with four rebounds and four assists.
- The Knights forced 14 turnovers and held a 17-10 edge on fast break points.
- Queens shot 42.1% from the field with a 24-57 FG shooting performance, while holding Daemen to a season-low 30.4% on the day as they went 21-69 from the field, including a 2-20 performance from long distance range.
- The Knights shot a season-best 84.2% from the charity stripe converting 16-19 attempts on the afternoon.
NEXT GAME: Head coach
Matt Collier and the Knights conclude the fall schedule inside Fitzgerald Gymnasium as they open a five-game homestand beginning on Friday (Dec. 9) evening against the Redhawks of Roberts Wesleyan University on
First Responder Night. Tip-off is set for 7:30 P.M.
Live Stats: Men's Basketball | Live Stream: ECC Network
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