FLUSHING, N.Y. – On Friday evening, with seven seconds left in overtime, graduate student
Raven Pitt (Valley Stream, N.Y.) knocked in the game-winning layup before freshman
Graciella Gardner's (Newark Valley, N.Y.) went perfect at the charity stripe to ice the game as the Queens College women's basketball team earned their fourth East Coast Conference victory as the Knights defeated the visiting Saints of D'Youville University 66-63 inside Fitzgerald Gymnasium.
Game Recap
It was a back-and-forth affair to start the game as the Knights traded buckets with the Saints in the first quarter.
With the Knights leading 6-5, the Saints took a 9-6 lead with 2:43 left in the first stanza before sophomore
Chelsea Reeves (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and the Knights ended the quarter on a 6-0 run to take a 12-9 lead heading into the second quarter.
The visitors would tie the game 14-14 with a 5-2 run at the 8:03 mark before junior
Khadija Demry (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and rookie
Brianna Davis (Bronx, N.Y.) put together a 9-2 run to give Queens a 23-16 lead with 3:14 left until halftime.
But D'Youville would end the second quarter with a 14-4 run as they took a 30-27 lead heading into the locker rooms at halftime.
The Saints would open the scoring in the third quarter as they extended their lead to five on two different occasions.
With Queens trailing by five, 34-29 at the 8:25 mark, sophomore
Aalia Carlson (Montclair, N.J.) and Davis put together a 5-0 run as the Knights tied the game 34-34 with 5:42 to go in the third.
Both sides would trade buckets but with the Knights trailing 39-38, Queens ended the third quarter on an 8-2 run as they took a five-point lead of 46-41 heading into the fourth quarter.
Queens would extend their lead to 10, 51-41 with 6:42 to go in the fourth quarter.
The Knights had held the Saints scoreless until the 6:18 mark before the visitors rallied back.
After Gardner's layup with 3:13 left in the fourth put the Knights up by 12 (
their largest lead of the game) 56-44, Queens fourth quarter struggles of foul trouble and turnovers would allow the visitors to tie the game at 60-60 as they went on a 16-4 run to force overtime.
Seeing a 12-point lead disappear, the Knights went into their second overtime game of the season and first since the triple overtime game against Assumption University on Dec. 17.
Holding a 0-1 record in overtime games this season, a jumper by Demry put Queens up 62-60 with 3:23 left in the game.
The Saints went 0-4 from the field in the first four shots before a three-pointer by the visitors gave them a 63-62 lead with 1:41 to go in the game.
Queens were without the services of Davis who fouled in the fourth quarter and would lose Reeves to her fifth foul on a charge with 41 seconds left in overtime as the Knights looked to reclaim the lead.
With the Saints running the down the clock as much as they can and holding on to a slim lead of 63-62 would miss their jumper as Gardner grasped the rebound before Pitt raced down the court to lay up the game-winner with seven seconds left in the game as Queens reclaimed the lead of 64-63 for good.
D'Youville would call their final timeout as they looked to set up the game-winning bucket. But the Saints would miss their jumper in the paint before Gardner was fouled on her rebound attempt putting her at the free-throw line.
The rookie put into a pressure situation in just her fourth game of the season would officially ice the game as she knocked down both shots as Queens earned the hard-fought 66-63 victory and their fourth in conference play.
Game Highlights
- Davis tallied her third double-double of the season as she led the game and tied a career-high 16 points (6-14 FG) with 11 rebounds, a career-high five steals, and three blocks.
- Reeves notched her fourth double-double of the season with 12 points (5-8 FG), 10 rebounds, and tied a career-high three steals on the evening.
- Pitt recorded 13 points (6-7 FG), four assists, and three rebounds, while Carlson notched 11 points (5-15 FG) with three rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
- Gardner tallied four points (1-2 FG, 2-2 FT) to go with nine rebounds, and a career-high four assists and one block in the evening.
- The Knights shot 49.1% going 26-53 from the field, while the Saints were held to 28.6% from the field with a 22-77 field goal performance.
- Queens added 15 assists on 26 made field goals.
NEXT TIP-OFF: Head coach
Bet Naumovski and the Knights continue ECC play on Sunday (Jan. 29) as the Wildcats of Daemen University come to town. Tip-off set for 3:30 p.m.
All home games will be live-streamed on the
ECC Network and fans can follow along on live stats.
Live Stats: Women's Basketball
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