FLUSHING, N.Y. – Returning to Fitzgerald Gymnasium to open a two-game homestand, the Queens College women's basketball team welcomed the Southern New Hampshire University Penmen for a Wednesday night non-conference matchup.
Powered by the junior trio of
Nkiru Awaka (Hyde Park, N.Y.), who posted her sixth double-double of the season with 20 points and a season-high 19 rebounds, guard
Tiffany Newsome (Harlem, N.Y.) with a career-best 13 points, and guard
Daja White (Queens, N.Y.) with 12 points, the Knights erased a six-point deficit late in the second quarter. An 18-5 surge gave Queens a nine-point halftime lead, an advantage they never allowed to shrink below seven the rest of the way, securing a 70-57 victory over the Penmen.
With the win, Queens earns their third victory of the season and defeats SNHU for the first time in program history.
GAME RECAP
Queens opened slowly as SNHU built a 7-2 lead with 5:20 remaining in the first quarter.
Rookie guard
Enise Hodzic (Queens, N.Y.) and White combined for six straight points to pull within one, 9-8, before the Penmen closed the quarter on a 6-2 spurt.
A late layup from Awaka cut the deficit to 15-12 heading into the second.
The Penmen continued to hold narrow control early in the second quarter, stretching their lead to six on multiple occasions, but timely scoring from the Knights kept the game within reach.
After SNHU took a 25-19 lead with 4:54 remaining, Queens called a timeout, and the momentum shifted entirely.
Sparked by a Newsome three-pointer at the 4:37 mark, the Knights exploded for an 18-5 run to close the half. Queens shot 7-of-10 from the floor with three triples while holding SNHU to 2-of-7 shooting and forcing three turnovers. Newsome and Awaka combined for 16 points as the Knights entered halftime ahead 37-28.
The Knights picked up where they left off in the third, using seven combined points from Hodzic and Awaka to push the lead to 44-32 with 6:18 remaining.
After SNHU cut the gap to seven, White and Newsome fueled an 8-0 run between the 3:13 and 1:56 marks, giving Queens its largest lead of the night at 52-37 and prompting an SNHU timeout.
The Penmen closed the quarter on an 8-4 stretch, but late free throws from junior forward
Chinyere Ukaegbu (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and a layup from junior forward
Chyna Bryant (Bronx, N.Y.) kept Queens in front 56-45 entering the fourth.
Ukaegbu opened the final quarter with a jumper to push the lead back to 13 before SNHU mounted one last push, trimming the deficit to 60-53 with 3:24 left.
Queens, however, sealed the victory with a composed finish as Awaka, Bryant, and White combined for 10 points over the final 3:08 to secure the 70-57 win.
Post Game Quote:
Head Coach
Travis Ponton: "This was a big win at home, and so far this season, we have played very well here in the Fitz. Southern New Hampshire is well coached, and they can put the ball in the basket, so we knew we had to be disciplined on the defensive end. Our execution on that end really set the tone, and once we took the lead there in the second, we just kept getting stops. Nkiru Awaka had another huge double-double, Daja really turned it on for us in the second half, and then Tiffany Newsome was an absolute spark off the bench on both sides of the ball. I told Tiff last week that the way she was shooting the ball, she was due, and the past couple of games we've seen that. We are back at home Sunday and back in conference play, so we will work to keep it going."
BY THE NUMBERS:
- Awaka posted her sixth double-double with 20 points (9-12 FG), a season-best 19 rebounds, three blocks, three assists, and a steal.
- Newsome recorded a career-high 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting with three made threes, five rebounds, one block, one steal, and one assist.
- White tallied 12 points, six assists, five rebounds, and one steal.
- Bryant added eight points, seven rebounds, and one assist.
- Ukaegbu contributed six points, six rebounds, three steals, one assist, and one block.
NEXT GAME:
Head coach
Travis Ponton and the Knights conclude their homestand on Sunday, December 14, when they welcome the Roberts Wesleyan University Redhawks to Fitzgerald Gymnasium for East Coast Conference play. Tipoff is set for 1:00 p.m.
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