FLUSHING, N.Y. – After opening the season with three straight road contests, the Queens College men's basketball team returned to Fitzgerald Gymnasium on Tuesday evening for their home opener, welcoming the Adelphi University Panthers in non-conference action.
Facing Adelphi for the second time in four games, senior forward
Tahj-Malik Campbell (Philadelphia, PA) and junior guard
Dontae Prescott (Coney Island, N.Y.) put on a dominant scoring display, combining for 61 points—74% of the team's total. Despite outscoring the Panthers 53-44 in the second half, an 18-point halftime deficit ultimately proved too steep to overcome as the Knights fell 91-82.
Queens moves to 2-2 on the season.
GAME RECAP
Queens struggled to find an early rhythm, falling behind 26-8 by the 10:26 mark.
Campbell and Prescott sparked life into the offense with a 9-1 run between the 10:03 and 6:29 marks, trimming the deficit to 27-17.
But Adelphi quickly countered, responding with an 11-3 run to push the margin back to 18, a lead they held heading into halftime as the Knights trailed 47-29.
The Panthers' hot shooting continued into the second half, and with Adelphi converting over 50% from the field, Queens found themselves down 65-39 with 11:23 remaining.
Prescott and Campbell again took charge, combining for a 12-0 run that cut the lead to 65-51.
The Knights continued to chip away, with the duo accounting for 44 of Queens' 53 second-half points, and pulled within eight (85-77) with 34 seconds left.
But the early hole and first-half shooting struggles (34.3%) proved costly as Adelphi secured the 91-82 victory.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Campbell recorded his first double-double of the season, finishing with a career-best 31 points on 12-of-20 shooting along with 10 rebounds, two blocks, and one steal.
- Prescott added a career-high 30 points on 11-of-20 shooting, including five three-pointers, while also contributing four assists, three rebounds, and one steal.
- Junior guard Johnny Jones (Bronx, N.Y.) chipped in nine points, two assists, and two rebounds.
- Freshman forward Henri Mennander (Helsinki, Finland) added six points and seven rebounds in the effort.
NEXT GAME
The Knights begin a three-game road swing on Sunday, November 30, traveling to Worcester, Mass., for a non-conference matchup against defending East Regional champions Assumption University Greyhounds. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m.
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