FLUSHING, N.Y. – Senior forward MacKenzie Rowland (Albany, N.Y.) registered a triple-double to lead regionally-ranked Queens College to a 76-65 victory over Daemen College here today in East Coast Conference women's basketball action.
Rowland totaled 18 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists for Queens, which is ranked ninth in the latest NCAA Division II East Region poll. The hosts ran their winning streak to six-straight games and improved to 18-8 overall and 15-5 in the ECC. With the win the Knights claim the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the upcoming ECC Championship tournament. Queens is the defending tournament champion. It marked the 2015-16 season finale for Daemen, which finishes 9-17 overall and 7-13 in the league.
Sophomore Sarah Saba (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster) paced Daemen with 15 points and six rebounds. Saba, who averaged a team-high 14.2 points last year as a rookie, closed out the year as the team leader in points per game (16.6), rebounds per game (6.3), blocks (44) and steals (36). She will enter her junior season just 157 points shy of 1,000 for her career.
It marked the final game in the outstanding career of senior guard Raeann Stilwell (Cheektowaga, N.Y./St. Mary's of Lancaster). A three-year starter for the Wildcats, she closed out her career ranked ninth among the program's career scoring leaders with 1,340 points in 114 games. She canned three three-pointers this afternoon and in the process broke the program record for most career three pointers (243)—eclipsing the previous record of 242 set by Jessica Ruddell from 2001 to 2005. Stilwell also exits with the program record for three-pointers made (77) in a season, three-pointers attempted (252) in a season and career three-pointers attempted (780).
Fellow seniors Somara Colon (Bronx, N.Y./Mott Haven Village Prep) and Samantha Wozniak (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster) also contributed today. Colon finished with seven points and a team-high nine rebounds, while Wozniak drilled two three-pointers and scored a season-high 10 points in 14 minutes off the bench. Junior Leah McDonell (North Tonawanda, N.Y.) added 10 points and six rebounds for the Wildcats.
Rowland's younger sister Madison Rowland (Albany, N.Y.) totaled 23 points, eight rebounds, five assists and seven steals for Queens. Madison, who entered the game averaging a league-high 20.1 points per game, connected on 11-of-18 shots this afternoon. Senior Kristen Korzevinski (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) added 20 points and four steals.
Both teams struggled to score early on and Queens held a 9-2 lead six minutes into the game. Queens held a 10-4 lead with just under three minutes left in the quarter when the hosts put together a 10-2 run and took a 14-point lead, 20-6, following a jumper by senior Amber Harrison (Baldwin, N.Y.) with 37 seconds left in the quarter. Queens took a 20-9 lead into the second quarter.
Queens outscored the Wildcats 9-3 over the first five minutes of the second quarter, before Daemen rallied and outscored the hosts 16-4 over the final 4:33 of the quarter. Saba scored six points during the run and her jumper with 19 seconds left before halftime capped the spurt and cut the Queens lead to three points, 33-30, at halftime.
Queens opened the third quarter with an 8-2 run and eventually regained a double-digit lead, 47-36, following a jumper by Madison Rowland with 3:19 left in the quarter. The lead was 12 points, 51-39, when the Wildcats got a layup from junior Jesse DeWaters (Lockport, N.Y./Niagara County CC) and Stilwell's record-breaking three-pointer to cut the lead to seven points, 51-44, with just under a minute left in the quarter.
The Knights scored the final three points of the third quarter and opened the fourth quarter with eight unanswered points to take control. A jumper by Madison Rowland with 7:34 left to play capped the run and gave the hosts a 62-44 lead. The teams traded baskets the rest of the game.
After shooting just 3-of-14 during the first quarter, Daemen found its shooting touch and connected on 19-of-51 shots (37%) over the final three quarters. Queens shot 55-percent (17-of-31) from the field in the second half and finished 32-of-79 (41%) from the field overall. The Knights failed to convert a three-pointer (0-for-5) in the game, while Daemen finished 7-of-29 from downtown. Queens collected 21 offensive rebounds and finished with a 51-40 edge in total rebounds.
Turnovers hurt the Wildcats for the second-straight game, as the Wildcats turned the ball over 24 times (compared to just 11 for Queens) and the Knights finished with a 24-9 edge in points off turnovers.
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