The women’s basketball team had their last regular season home game last Saturday, suffering a 52-66 defeat against Mercy College. While that’s not the way you want to end the season, with a defeat, there’s still a chance to avenge that loss in the playoffs. With a 5-11 record in conference play, the Knights fell sixth in the ECC standings; good enough to give them a playoff berth for the first time since 2017-18. They will play number three seeded Mercy tonight at 7 p.m. in Dobbs Ferry.
Queens College started off this season with a whole new team compared to last year with a total of 8 new players out of 11; each with something to offer to the new dynamic of the team. The season was full of accomplishments and players being acknowledged for their skills. For the ECC Weekly Honor Roll Sheet out of 14 weeks, at least one Knight was awarded; for a total of nine weeks. Forward Cecilia Lapertosa and guard Brianna Davis tied for the most on the team with three each, until Davis grabbed on the last weekly Honor Roll.
Four players stand out amongst the pack: Lapertosa, Davis, guard Chelsea Reeves, and guard Raven Pitt. Reeves had the most points this season with a total of 328 points with an average of 12.6 per game (the fifth most in the conference), and took home two Player of the Week honors. While only playing eight games due to an injury, true freshman Lapertosa made an impact, winning three Rookie of the Week honors and maintained a field goal percentage of .541, which would have led the ECC. She averaged 13.1 points per game. Davis won Rookie of the Week four times, while having the most blocks for a guard in the ECC this season with 24. Pitt is an all-around player, placing in the top three in total points and rebounds for the Knights while having the most assists. She is second in the ECC with 55 steals.
In basketball, a team doesn’t consist of just four players, it’s much more this season as all 11 players on the team have made contributions to the team. This depth will be needed against the number one three seeded Mavericks tonight. While last Saturday’s game was doomed from the start, as Mercy won the first quarter 24-8, the Knights’ first game against Mercy was much closer. On Jan. 21st, the Knights lost by two to the Mavericks in Dobbs Ferry, which was the tightest conference game Mercy played all season at home. The next closest game was a six point victory by the Mavericks against D’Youville University all the way back in December.
Can the Knights pull off an upset and defeat the Mavericks on their own homecourt? It certainly is not out of the realm of possibility, as Head Coach Elizabeth “Bet” Naumovski now has the Mavericks game plan fresh on her mind, with a roster that has proven they can compete against them.
Editors Note: The Knights defeated the Mavericks 57-52 and will face the #2 seeded St. Thomas Aquinas Spartans on Saturday.
