AMHERST, N.Y. – The Buffalo two-game road trip concluded for the Queens College men's basketball team Sunday afternoon as the Knights matched up against the Wildcats of Daemen University inside Lumsden Gymnasium in East Coast Conference action.
Offensively the Knights were led by senior
Malik Bentinck (Queens, N.Y.) who missed out on his tenth double-double of the year with 12 points and nine rebounds, while the junior duo of
Shamar Chester (Queens, N.Y.) and
Javier Contreras (Valley Stream, N.Y.) recorded 12 points and 10 points respectively but shooting woes would see the Knights fall to the final score of 78-56.
With the loss, Queens saw their five-game winning streak come to an end as they moved to 11-8 overall, and 5-3 in conference play.
But for the second straight season, the Knights earned a series split against the Wildcats.
Match Recap
It would be a slow start for the Knights as the Wildcats took a 5-0 lead before Bentinck got Queens on board at the 17:48 mark on a second chance attempt.
As the Wildcats took an 8-2 lead, Bentinck knocked down a three-pointer at the 16:56 mark to get Queens within three, 8-5 before both teams went quiet just before the under-16 media timeout.
As Queens held Daemen scoreless for over 2:54 minutes, the Knights were still searching to get into a scoring rhythm as they were held scoreless for over three minutes.
Seraphin would tally four straight points before the Wildcats extended their advantage to 10 points, 19-9 with 10:51 to go in the first half.
Junior
Manny Umoffia (Benin City, Nigeria) would break the scoring drought with two made free throws at the 9:36 mark but as the Wildcats extended their lead to 24-11, the junior duo of
Jayden Seraphin (Lakeview, N.Y.) and Contreras would tally back to back buckets to get them within nine, 24-15 with 8:06 to go before halftime.
However unable to get consistent scoring, turnovers and shooting 22.7% from the field would see the Knights trailing by 15, 39-24 heading into the locker room at halftime.
The second half would see the Knights shoot 40.6% from the field as they looked to get in a better rhythm but the first half slow start and the Wildcats shooting over 50.0% from the field for the game would see the home side earn a series split to the final score of 78-56 Sunday afternoon.
By the Numbers
- Bentinck missed out on his 10th double-double of the year recording 12 points (4-of-8 FG, 1-of-3 3PT, 3-of-4 FT), nine rebounds, two blocks, and one steal.
- Chester recorded 12 points to go with five rebounds and two assists.
- Contreras tallied 10 points (5-of-11 FG) to go with two rebounds, two steals, and one assist.
- As a team, the Knights were held to 33.3% going 18-of-54 from the field, while the Wildcats shot 50.9% on 29-of-57 shooting.
- Queens shot 89.5% at the charity stripe going 17-of-19 at the line.
Next Game
The Knights open a three-game homestand beginning on Wednesday (Jan. 31) evening as the Mavericks of Mercy University visit Flushing. Tip-off set for 7:30 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).
