SPARKILL, N.Y. – Looking to end a three-game skid, sophomore forward
Nkiru Awaka (Hyde Park, N.Y.) erupted for a season-best 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting from the field at at a scorching shooting % of 78.6 to help lead the Queens College women's basketball team to a 64-61 East Coast Conference victory over the Spartans of St. Thomas Aquinas College inside Aquinas Hall Saturday afternoon.
With the victory Queens improves to 8-8 overall and 3-3 in ECC play. Saturday's win over the Spartans ended a six-game skid inside Aquinas Hall as Queens earned their first road win since the 71-66 victory back on January 7, 2017.
GAME RECAP
Both teams would trade buckets in the opening five minutes of the game with Queens holding onto a slim lead of 7-6 by the 5:58 mark.
Over the final 5:42 of the first stanza it would turn into the Awaka show as the Hyde Park native tallied 14 points
(6-of-7 FG) in an 18-5 run as Queens took a 14-point lead of 25-11 into the second period of play.
After the first stanza, the sophomore had tallied 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting to go with eight rebounds.
As Queens held STAC without a field goal since the 3:33 mark of the first quarter, the rookie duo of
Arianna Lopez (Newburgh, N.Y.) and
Sajol Thornhill (Ashburn, VA.) would extend Queens' lead to 18 points, 29-11 by the 7:38 mark.
The Spartans would notch their first field goal in over seven minutes to start a 6-0 run to get within 12, 29-17 by the 5:56 mark.
Lopez and Awaka responded with a 6-0 run as Queens extended their lead back to 18, 35-17 with 3:21 left until halftime.
However, the home side would end the final 3:03 of the second quarter on a 9-2 run to cut Queens' advantage down to 37-26 at halftime.
The Spartans would extend that run to 11-2 as they opened the third quarter at the free throw line to get within nine, 39-29 in the opening 16 seconds.
Just as another Awaka's layup got the Knights' lead back into double digits of 11, 39-28 at the 9:27 mark, Queens would be held scoreless over the next three minutes of play as Spartans attempted to cut into the visitor's advantage.
A three-pointer from junior
Kiya Marquez (Harlem, N.Y.) would break the scoreless streak for Queens to take a 42-31 lead with 6:32 left in the stanza.
Both teams would go into a drought over the next several minutes of play before the final 4:09 minutes of the third quarter saw both teams traded buckets as Queens worked to keep their lead intact.
The trio of Awaka, Lopez, and rookie
Jaeda Hall (Saint Albans, N.Y.) combined for 10 points in the final 3:51 minutes of the third quarter to take an eight-point advantage of 52-44 into the fourth quarter.
STAC opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back buckets before rookie forward
Chinyere Ukaegbu (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Lopez tallied five straight points including a three-pointer from Lopez as the Knights extended their lead to nine points, 57-48 with 8:04 to go in the contest.
For the second time in the quarter, the home side cut Queens' advantage down to four points, 57-53 at the 6:43 mark before Hall and Lopez responded for the Knights to extend the lead back to nine points, 62-53 with 5:01 left in the game.
With plenty of time left in the game, the Knights would be held scoreless and with their leading scorer fouled out of the game, the Spartans would take advantage as they used an 8-0 run from the 4:50 mark to the :55 second mark to get within one, 62-61.
Leading by one, 62-61 with 55 seconds to go and the Spartans not electing to foul, Ukaegbu would collect the offensive board on a Thornhill attempted jumper to ice the game before the Spartans fouled with 13 seconds left in the game.
Following the inbound, the Knights would turn the ball over but an alert Ukaegbu would quickly get the ball back before getting fouled with two seconds to go.
With the Spartans over the limit, the rookie forward Ukaegbu would ice the game at the charity stripe as Queens earned their third ECC victory of the year to the final score of 64-61.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Awaka recorded her sixth double-double of the year and fourth in the last five games with a season-best 27 points, and 17 rebounds (12 offensive) to go with two steals and three assists.
- Lopez recorded 14 points with a career-best five made field goals.
- Ukaegbu recorded another all-round effort scoring eight points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks.
- Rookie forward Autumn Simon (Bellport, N.Y.) recorded two points, seven rebounds, three assists and three blocks.
- The duo Marquez and Hall combined for 11 points, and six rebounds in the victory.
- The Knights won the boards battle 41-31 including 21 offensive boards to tally 20 second chance points in the victory.
NEXT GAME
Queens will now open a two-game ECC homestand beginning on Wednesday, Jan. 22 as they welcome the Firebirds of the University of the District of Columbia to town. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. The Firebirds enter the week with an overall record of 5-10, 3-3 in ECC play, and are coming off a 76-51 victory over Roberts Wesleyan.
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