BRIDGEPORT, CT. – Led by the senior duo of
Sunnie Diamond (Atlanta, GA) and
Malik Bentinck (St. Albans, N.Y) combined 37 points, the Queens College men's basketball team free throw shooting in the second half would help defeat the University of Bridgeport Purple Knights inside Harvey Hubbell Gymnasium Saturday afternoon.
The duo of Diamond and Bentinck combined for 37 points as the Knights earned an 84-81 victory over the Purple Knights to improve their record to 3-1 on the young season.
The Knights earned their second straight victory inside Harvey Hubbell Gymnasium.
Match Recap
It would be a back-and-forth affair in the early going of the game, but with the score knotted at 6-6, Queens would go on a 16-5 run from the 15:13 mark to the 11:21 mark as the Knights jumped out to a 22-11 lead.
But the Purple Knights would slowly start to cut into the Queens' advantage as an 11-point lead was cut down to 1, 24-23 with 6:50 to go until halftime.
But with both teams in the bonus for the remainder of the first half, made free throws along with timely buckets would keep the Knights in front as they took a two-point lead of 42-40 into the locker rooms.
After both teams began the second half cold, Diamond would break the scoreless drought with a jumper at 17:52 as Queens started an 11-4 run to extend their lead to nine, 53-44 with 15:51 left in the game.
As the Knights continued to find timely buckets to stay ahead, Bridgeport would start to cut into Queens' lead, but with the Knights leading 54-49, a 10-3 run would see the visitors take a 64-52 with 10:51 to go in the game.
Leading by eight, 76-68, Bridgeport would make a late run as they cut the Knights' lead down to one, 77-76 with 2:12 left in the game.
However, 5-of-6 free throw shooting at the line in the final 1:20 minute of the game would keep Queens one step ahead as the Knights extended their win streak to three with an 84-81 victory over Bridgeport.
By the Numbers
- Diamond led the Knights' offense as he recorded a team-high 21 points (7-15 FG, 7-8 FT) to go with three rebounds, four assists, and one steal.
- Bentinck tallied 16 points (5-13 FG) to go nine rebounds, and team-high four blocks.
- The duo of sophomore Eric Tynes (Springfield, MA.) and junior Zyeir Lawrence (Oneonta, N.Y.) combined for 16 points, eight rebounds, and two steals.
- While the junior duo of Omar Nkonde (Harlem, N.Y.) & Elijah Blackman (Queens, N.Y.) combined for 14 points, four rebounds, and two steals.
- As a team, the Knights shot 45.6% going 26-57 from the field, while the Purple Knights shot 39.7% shooting 29-73 from the field.
- Queens shot 82.9% from the charity stripe as they went 29-35 including a perfect 13-13 from the line in the first half.
- The Knights bench outscored the Purple Knights 28-11 while holding a 15-6 edge on points off turnovers.
Next Game
The Knights conclude the two-game road stand as they travel to Orangeburg, N.Y. on Wednesday (Nov. 22) afternoon as they match up against the Chargers of Dominican University of New York. Tipoff is set for 2:00 p.m.
For the latest news on Queens College Athletics, follow the Knights at queensknights.com or via social media on Facebook (Queens College Athletics), X (Formerly Twitter) (@QCKnights), Queens College MBB (@QCKnights_MBB) and Instagram (qcknightsny), men's basketball (qcmensbball).
