ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. – Concluding the ECC x CACC Conference Challenge on Sunday afternoon, the Queens College women's basketball team squared off against the Chestnut Hill College Griffins inside Bob Houlihan Gymnasium.
The junior tandem of guard
Daja White (Queens, N.Y.) and forward
Nkiru Awaka (Hyde Park, N.Y.) combined for 26 points, but the Knights' comeback bid ultimately fell short in a 69–57 defeat.
GAME RECAP
A slow start put Queens in an early hole, trailing 21–8 by the 3:47 mark of the first quarter. However, a 9-3 run sparked by White, rookie guard
Enise Hodzic (Queens, N.Y.), and senior forward
Chyna Bryant (Bronx, N.Y.) cut the deficit to seven, sending the Knights into the second quarter down 24–17.
White and Hodzic continued to chip away, keeping the margin within single digits. Back-to-back layups from Awaka brought Queens within 29–26 with 3:36 remaining in the half.
But the Knights were held to just five points the rest of the period, allowing the Griffins to take a 43–31 lead into halftime.
In the second half, Queens matched Chestnut Hill point-for-point, with both teams scoring 26. The Knights held the Griffins to only nine made field goals after the break, but Queens' own shooting struggles, finishing at 30.2% from the field, prevented a full comeback as Chestnut Hill secured the 69–57 victory.
Post Game Quote:
Head Coach
Travis Ponton: "Unfortunately, the early foul trouble set us back, and once we got beyond that, it was essentially an even game. We fought hard and cut into the lead a number of times, but we just couldn't quite get over the hump. I thought we played with great effort, and we had several players step up because of the early foul troubles. We still have plenty of controllables to improve on free-throw shooting, execution, all of that will continue to be a big focus as we move through non-conference play."
BY THE NUMBERS:
- For the second straight game, White led the offense, recording a team-high 15 points, to go with three rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
- Awaka added 11 points, six rebounds, and one steal.
- Hodzic recorded a career-best eight points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
- Sophomore forward Chinyere Ukaegbu (Brooklyn, N.Y.) tallied eight points, six rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
NEXT GAME:
Head Coach
Travis Ponton and the Knights remain on the road to open the season as they travel to Caldwell, N.J., for a non-conference matchup on Wednesday, November 19, against the Caldwell University Cougars. Tipoff is set for 5:00 p.m.
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