SPRINGFIELD, MA. – Concluding non-conference play Wednesday afternoon, the Queens College men's basketball team faced American International College Yellow Jackets inside Henry A. Butova Gymnasium.
Three Knights scored in double figures, led by senior forward
Tahj-Malik Campbell (Philadelphia, PA), who recorded his sixth double-double of the season with a game-high 30 points and a career-best 17 rebounds. Sophomore guard
Lleyton Fried (Harrisburg, PA) and rookie forward
Henri Mennander (Helsinki, Finland) each added 14 points, combining for 28 points.
Trailing by six at halftime, Campbell and Fried fueled a second-half rally, combining for 28 points after the break and scoring four critical points in the final minute to lift Queens to a 72–69 comeback victory over the Yellow Jackets.
With the win, Queens secured its fifth victory of the season and earned its first road win over AIC in program history.
GAME RECAP
Paced early by Campbell and Mennander, the Knights traded baskets with AIC through the opening five minutes of action.
With the score tied at 9–9, the Yellow Jackets used an 11–1 run between the 15:46 and 13:17 marks to take a 20–10 advantage.
A jumper from senior forward
Jaden Pena (Brooklyn, N.Y.) at the 11:04 mark snapped the scoring drought and pulled Queens within eight, 20–12.
Campbell and Fried kept the Knights within striking distance before back-to-back baskets from Mennander trimmed the deficit to five, 28–23, just before the under-four media timeout.
The forward duo of Campbell and Mennander combined for 22 first-half points on 9-of-17 shooting as Queens entered the locker room trailing 36–30.
Campbell opened the second half with seven straight points, sparking a 7–4 Knights run to cut the margin to three, 40–37, by the 18:00 mark.
After AIC pushed its lead back to five, Campbell and Fried again responded, bringing Queens within one, 44–43, with 13:38 remaining.
With Campbell on the bench and the Knights trailing 46–43 at the 10:47 mark, Pena, Fried, and junior forward
Ahmad Galimore (Bronx, N.Y.) led a pivotal stretch. Galimore scored five points during a 10–5 run that gave Queens a 53–51 lead with 8:19 to play.
The second half featured four ties and one lead change, as AIC knotted the score twice.
With the game tied at 54–54, Fried knocked down his second three-pointer of the half to ignite a decisive run. Campbell and Mennander combined for 11 points as the Knights surged on a 14–5 run from the 7:04 to 3:49 marks, building a game-high nine-point lead (68–59).
AIC answered with an 8–0 run, capitalizing on four Queens turnovers to trim the deficit to one, 68–67, with 1:16 remaining.
Campbell responded with his 12th field goal of the night, tying a career high, to extend the lead to three, 70–67, with 59 seconds left.
After AIC missed a potential game-tying three-pointer, Pena secured a key defensive rebound, and Fried converted two clutch free throws with 37 seconds remaining to push the margin to five. Queens' defense limited the Yellow Jackets to 1-of-4 shooting in the final 30 seconds, sealing the 72–69 victory.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Campbell paced the Knights with a team-leading 30 points on 12-of-22 shooting, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, to go along with a career-best 17 rebounds, two steals, and two assists.
- The performance marked his second 30-point outing of the season, while tying a career high with 12 made field goals and setting a new career best with four three-pointers.
- Fried added a career-high 14 points, shooting 3-of-4 from the field and a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line, while contributing four rebounds and one assist.
- Mennander also finished with 14 points on an efficient 6-of-8 shooting, adding four rebounds, two blocks, and one steal.
- Pena tallied seven points on 3-of-4 shooting, along with one rebound, one assist, and one steal.
NEXT GAME
Staying on the road, the Knights return to East Coast Conference play on Saturday, January 10, traveling to Rockville Centre to face Molloy University. Tip-off against the Lions is scheduled for 2:30 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).
