WATERBURY, CONN – Closing out non-conference play on the road, the Queens College women's basketball team traveled to Waterbury, Conn., for a matchup against the Post University Eagles inside the Drubner Center on Wednesday evening.
Junior forward
Nkiru Awaka (Hyde Park, N.Y.) led the Knights offensively with a team-high 10 points. In a tightly contested game that featured six ties and seven lead changes, a decisive 12-0 fourth-quarter run allowed the Eagles to seize control as Queens fell on the road to the score of 60-41.
GAME RECAP
Queens opened the scoring with baskets from Awaka and sophomore forward
Chinyere Ukaegbu (Brooklyn, N.Y.), tying the game at 4-4 before Post answered with a three-pointer to take an early 7-4 advantage.
A triple from rookie guard
Eva Gitto (Albany, N.Y.) evened the score at 7-7, and Awaka followed with her second bucket of the quarter to give Queens a 9-7 lead as the Knights' defense held the Eagles scoreless.
Queens continued its defensive stand, keeping Post off the board for the final 7:50 of the opening frame. A three-pointer from rookie guard
Enise Hodzic (Queens, N.Y.) extended the lead to 12-7 heading into the second quarter.
Both teams struggled offensively to start the second, but the Knights maintained their edge. Back-to-back baskets from Awaka pushed the lead to 16-9 at the 3:54 mark. Post ended its scoring drought shortly after, trimming the deficit to 16-11.
The duo of Awaka and junior guard
Tiffany Newsome (Harlem, N.Y.) helped Queens close the half on a 4-0 run, sending the Knights into the break with a 20-12 lead.
Gitto opened the third quarter with a three-pointer, extending Queens' run to 7-0 and building a 23-12 advantage. However, the Knights hit a cold stretch, allowing Post to respond with an 11-0 run to tie the game at 23-23 with 3:48 remaining in the quarter.
Two free throws from junior guard
Shellby Mcgill (Bronx, N.Y.) snapped the drought, but the Eagles closed the period on a 4-0 run to take a 27-25 lead into the fourth.
Both sides traded baskets early in the final frame, with graduate student forward
Jordan Tobin (Massapequa, N.Y.) and Ukaegbu keeping Queens within striking distance.
Holding a narrow 32-31 lead, Queens saw momentum shift as Post erupted on a 12-0 run, opening up a 43-32 advantage with 6:20 remaining.
The Knights answered with a quick 5-0 spurt to cut the deficit to six, 43-37, but the Eagles maintained control down the stretch to secure the win.
BY THE NUMBERS:
- Awaka recorded a team-high 10 points, nine rebounds, five steals, one block, and one assist.
- Gitto recorded six points, four rebounds, and one steal.
- Hodzic tallied five points, four assists, three rebounds, and two steals.
NEXT GAME:
Head coach
Travis Ponton and the Knights return to East Coast Conference play on Sunday, February 15, traveling to Rochester, N.Y., to face Roberts Wesleyan University. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
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