FLUSHING, N.Y. – In a game that saw 17 lead changes and 15 ties, the Queens College men's basketball team rallied back with an 18-7 run over the final 6:30 minutes of action to defeat the visiting Roberts Wesleyan University Redhawks inside Fitzgerald Gymnasium in East Coast Conference action Friday evening.
Three Knights scored in double figures with senior guard
Shamar Chester (Queens, N.Y.) leading the way with a team-high 20 points, senior guard
Jade Tse (Queens, N.Y.) with 16 points, and senior center
Omar Nkonde (Harlem, N.Y.) with 11 points including knocking the game-winning free throw with 2.2 seconds left in the contest as Queens earned a 73-72 victory over the Redhawks.
With the victory Queens moves to 5-5 in ECC play and back into third place in the postseason race with six games left on the docket. Friday's victory also earned the Knights their first series sweep over Roberts Wesleyan since the 2019-2020 season.
GAME RECAP
It would be an early back-and-forth contest as both sides matched each other shot for shot.
Through the first 10 minutes of the contest, the Redhawks would put together two separate leads of five points, but each time the Knights would rally back.
But as the Redhawks put together their largest lead of the first half of seven points including a 27-20 advantage with 6:37 left, the duo of Tse and Chester would lead of 9-0 run from the 6:26 mark to the 3:43 mark as Queens took a 29-27 lead.
Just as the Redhawks tied the game back at 29-29 on their next possession, the senior guard trio
Nasan Ayala (LeFrak City, N.Y.), Chester, and Tse would help the Knights take a tie game of 34-34 into the locker rooms at halftime.
The second half picked up where both sides left off trading shots.
With the game tied at 40-40, Tse and Chester put the Knights up 45-44 with 15:19 left in the contest.
Following a Tse's jumper to put the Knights up 47-46 with 14:03 to go, the Redhawks answered an 11-1 run as they took a 57-48 lead with 11:01 to go in the contest.
A Nkonde layup at the 10:33 mark would break the home side's drought, but for every bucket Queens scored, the visitors would have an answer including taking a double-digit lead for the first time in the game by either side.
With the Redhawks leading as much as 11 with 9:16 left in the contest, the duo of Chester and Tse would answer back to cut it down to single digits.
Just as Roberts Wesleyan took a 65-55 advantage with 6:49 to go in the contest, a layup from Tse started an 11-0 run from the 6:30 mark to the 3:30 mark as the Knights reclaimed a slim lead of 66-65 with senior forward
Damiri Lindo (Oakland, CA.) jumper capping off the run.
After two free throws helped Roberts Wesleyan reclaim a one-point edge of 67-66, the duo of Chester and Lindo would put together a 6-0 run from the 1:59 mark to the 28-second mark as Queens took a 72-69 lead.
But the Redhawks would tie the game at 72-72 behind their leading scorer Malik Brooks connecting on a three-pointer with 10 seconds left in the contest.
With a timeout in hand, Queens elected to bring the ball up and put the ball in the hands of Tse.
The Queens native would get fouled with 2.2 seconds in the contest but an injury to Tse would allow Roberts Wesleyan to choose the free throw shooter and would designate the Harlem native Nkonde for the two free throws.
With the game on the line and under pressure, Nkonde would calmly hit the game-winner with his first free throw before missing the second one before a last heave from Roberts Wesleyan would not be enough as the Knights completed the comeback and earned a thrilling 73-72 victory to move to 5-5 in ECC play.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Chester recorded a team-high 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting with 7-of-8 at the charity stripe to go with five rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
- Tse recorded 16 points, three rebounds, and two assists.
- Nkonde recorded 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting, six rebounds, a game-high four blocks, and one assist in the contest.
- Ayala recorded nine points, a game-high 10 rebounds, one block, one steal, and one assist.
NEXT TIP-OFF
Continuing ECC play, the Knights head to Buffalo, N.Y. for a two-game road trip beginning on Friday, Feb. 14 against D'Youville University Saints. The Knights earned a 75-70 victory over the Saints on January 10. Tip-off is set for 7:45 p.m.
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