WORCESTER, MA. – Kicking off a three-game road stretch, the Queens College men's basketball team traveled to Worcester, Massachusetts, to face defending East Regional champions Assumption University inside Andrew Laska Gymnasium.
Four Knights reached double digits in scoring, led by standout double-doubles from senior forward
Tahj-Malik Campbell (Philadelphia, PA), who posted 22 points and 15 rebounds, and rookie forward
Henri Mennander (Helsinki, Finland), who set a career-high with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Junior guards
Dontae Prescott (Coney Island, N.Y.) and
Johnny Jones (Bronx, N.Y.) also contributed 17 and 15 points, respectively, combining for 32 points. Despite the balanced offensive effort, a 12-point halftime deficit proved costly in the back-and-forth second half, as Queens fell 104-91 to the Greyhounds in a high-scoring affair.
GAME RECAP
Queens College opened the contest with a personal five-point run from Prescott, giving the Knights a 6-2 lead at the 18:25 mark.
Assumption quickly responded with a 5-0 run to take a 7-6 advantage by 17:49, before Campbell and Mennander traded buckets with the Greyhounds to tie the game at 9-9 with 16:13 remaining in the first half.
After Jones tied the game at 13-13, Assumption went on a 12-4 run to take a 25-17 lead at 11:07.
Queens answered with a 9-4 run led by Campbell, Mennander, and Jones to cut the deficit to three, 29-26, at 8:53. Despite shooting over 50% in the first half, 12 turnovers kept the Knights trailing 59-47 at the break.
The Greyhounds maintained their hot shooting in the second half, extending their lead to 18 points several times in the first six minutes. Trailing 76-58 with 14:24 remaining, Queens responded with a 16-4 run, highlighted by eight points from Prescott, cutting the gap to 80-74 by 9:25.
Still within striking distance, the Knights fought on as Assumption rebuilt a double-digit lead, stretching it to 12. With 7:29 remaining and down 89-77, a triple from Jones, five straight points from Campbell, and a tip-in from Mennander brought Queens to within six, 93-87, with 4:59 left.
However, the comeback rally fell short as the Greyhounds used a final 11-4 run to hold off the Queens barrage to earn a 104-91 victory.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Campbell recorded his second straight double-double, finishing with 22 points on 10-of-16 shooting, a career-best 15 rebounds, three steals, two blocks, and one assist.
- Mennander had a career day, tallying a career-high 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting, along with 12 rebounds and three assists.
- Prescott added 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting, with two assists, one steal, and one rebound.
- Jones also set a career high with 15 points, including four made three-pointers, while contributing three steals, two assists, and two rebounds.
NEXT GAME
Staying on the road, the Knights open East Coast Conference play in Western New York on Friday, December 5, traveling to Amherst to take on the defending ECC champion Daemen University Wildcats. Tipoff is scheduled 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 Athletics Main Account (@QCKnights), Queens College MBB (QCKnightsMBB) and Instagram (qcknightsny), men's basketball (qcmensbball).
