LAKEWOOD, N.J. – Hitting the road before the Christmas break, the Queens College men's basketball team squared off against Georgian Court University inside the Wellness Center Arena in a non-conference matchup.
Four Knights paced the Queens offense, led by rookie forward
Henri Mennander (Helsinki, Finland), who recorded his fourth double-double of the season with a game-high 20 points and 16 rebounds. Senior forward
Tahj-Malik Campbell (Philadelphia, PA) added his fourth double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, while junior guards
Johnny Jones (Bronx, N.Y.) and
Dontae Prescott (Coney Island, N.Y.) chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Trailing by three at halftime, the Knights opened the second half on a dominant 15–2 run and later fended off a late Georgian Court rally to earn a 74–71 road victory.
GAME RECAP
The opening half featured six lead changes and six ties, as neither team was able to create much separation.
After Georgian Court jumped out to a 12–8 lead at the 13:34 mark, two free throws from junior forward
Ahmad Galimore (Bronx, N.Y.) at 12:42 sparked an 8–1 Queens run. The surge gave the Knights a 16–13 advantage with 8:52 remaining in the half, highlighted by four points from junior guard
David Teele (Harlem, N.Y.).
The Lions responded to regain the lead, but Mennander and sophomore guard
Lleyton Fried (Harrisburg, PA) kept pace as the teams continued to trade baskets. After Fried tied the contest at 21–21 with 4:49 left, Georgian Court went on a 6–0 run to take a 27–21 lead with 3:15 remaining.
Queens tightened defensively over the final 2:38, holding the Lions to just one made field goal and cutting the deficit to 29–26 at the break behind scoring from Jones and Campbell.
Carrying that momentum into the second half, Mennander opened play with six straight points to give Queens a 32–29 lead at the 18:35 mark.
After a Georgian Court layup ended a five-minute scoring drought, Prescott ignited a 14–0 Knights run with a layup at 16:54, extending the lead to 46–31 with 13:59 to play.
During a 20–2 run that spanned more than eight minutes, Mennander led the way with 10 points as Queens seized full control of the contest.
The Lions attempted to mount a comeback, but timely scoring from Campbell, highlighted by a three-pointer at the 9:27 mark, pushed the Knights' lead to 56–40, the largest lead of the contest.
Georgian Court found its rhythm late, putting together an 18–8 run to cut the deficit to 64–58 with 4:51 remaining.
Campbell continued to answer, trading baskets to keep Queens ahead 68–60 with 3:24 left.
The Lions made one final push with a 9–2 run, pulling within one at 70–69 with 55 seconds remaining.
After back-to-back turnovers by both teams, Mennander converted a second-chance bucket to extend the lead to 71–69 with 26 seconds to play. Jones then sealed the win at the free-throw line, knocking down two clutch shots to secure the 74–71 victory.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Mennander recorded his fourth double-double of the season, finishing with 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting to go along with 16 rebounds, two blocks, and one steal.
- Campbell also notched his fourth double-double, totaling 15 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and two steals.
- Jones contributed 11 points while adding five rebounds, three steals, two assists, and two blocks.
- Prescott rounded out the scoring in double figures with 10 points, three steals, and one assist.
NEXT GAME
The Knights will close out the 2025 calendar year on the road in Bridgeport, Conn., on Wednesday, December 31, as they face the University of Bridgeport Purple Knights. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 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).
