SPRINGFIELD, MA. – Concluding their road stand Saturday afternoon, the Queens College women's basketball team faced American International College inside Henry A. Butova Gymnasium in non-conference action.
The junior duo of forward
Nkiru Awaka (Hyde Park, N.Y.) and guard
Daja White (Queens, N.Y.) paced the Knights, combining for 28 points. Awaka led all Queens scorers with 16 points, while White added 12. Queens battled back to cut the deficit to single digits entering the fourth quarter, but a decisive 10–0 Yellow Jackets run, and cold shooting down the stretch resulted in an 80–51 setback.
GAME RECAP
White and Awaka kept pace with the Yellow Jackets through the opening five minutes of the first quarter, as Queens trailed by just three, 11–8, with 5:35 remaining.
AIC responded by closing the quarter on a 14–4 run to take a 25–12 lead into the second quarter.
Back-to-back three pointers from rookie guard
Enise Hodzic (Queens, N.Y.) pulled Queens within 10, 28–18, with 9:00 left before halftime. However, the Yellow Jackets followed with a 7–0 run to extend their advantage to 17, 35–18.
The Knights answered with an 18–5 run to close the half, trimming the deficit to nine, 40–31, at the break.
Queens shot 58.3 percent from the field in the third quarter, knocking down seven field goals while holding AIC to 42.8 percent shooting. Despite the strong effort, the Knights trailed 56–45 heading into the final 10 minutes.
The comeback attempt stalled in the fourth quarter, as Queens was limited to two made field goals while the Yellow Jackets shot 52.9 percent from the floor to secure the win.
BY THE NUMBERS:
- Awaka finished with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting and added five rebounds.
- White totaled 12 points, a career-best eight rebounds, and three assists.
- Hodzic contributed eight points, including two three-pointers.
NEXT GAME:
Head coach
Travis Ponton and the Knights close out the 2025 calendar year on Wednesday, December 31, hosting Georgian Court University in a non-conference matchup. Tipoff is scheduled for noon.
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