QC men’s basketball team look to turn season around

After going a combined 1-2 in both exhibition and regular season games, the Queens College men’s basketball team is hoping to build off some of the lessons it took away from those three games.
The team began play with an exhibition game against the elite Division I University of Connecticut Huskies. The Knights didn’t seem to put up much of a fight, losing 100-43. They shot 23% from both the field and three-point range while allowing UConn to shoot 55% and 33% respectively. The team was led in scoring by its two senior guards, Simon Green and Tyrone Hall, who scored 12 and 10 points.
Despite the final score, head coach Matt Collier saw some encouraging developments throughout the game.
“Obviously it was a big stage and there was a little bit of nervousness and we had a lot of turnovers in the game which led to them getting out in transition,” Collier explained. “But I will say the things I did like was I felt like we were nervous but I didn’t feel like we were scared, and what I learned is that I have a tough team, guys that are competitive and they’ll stand up against a hard challenge and they’ll keep fighting.”
The Knights’ next game was their first official game of the regular season, and also their home opener against the Chestnut Hill Griffins.
The team played extremely well as four players scored in double figures, led by Tyrone Hall, who finished with a game-high 16 points. They made 14 three-pointers while shooting 40% from downtown and 46% overall. It was the combination of great team play along with great shooting percentages that helped propel the Knights to victory, 78-56.
The second game of the regular season came as a bit of a disappointment after such an impressive home opener, as the Knights lost to the New Haven Chargers 86-74.
The team had a lackluster performance on the defensive end as the Chargers hit 11 three-pointers and were led by senior guard Danny Upchurch, who finished with a game-high 31 points. Accompanying their defensive woes was the inability to stay out of foul trouble, as sophomore forward Kevin Buron was the only starter who finished with fewer than four fouls.
The Knights’ contest did not come without some positives though, as Tyrone Hall again led the team in scoring, this time scoring 25 points, while Simon Green chipped in with 19.
Despite the mixed results of the early season, Coach Collier understands the process it takes to build an elite team.
“I definitely feel like we’re trending in the right direction,” Collier said. “Hopefully, as time goes on and we get more reps, more game experience in us, and more practices that by the time it’s time for playoffs and postseason, we’re clicking to 95-100% on those details, and we’ll see where that leads us as far as standings and all of that.”
The men’s basketball team has a favorable schedule going forward, as they play seven of their next eight games at Queens College. Hopefully, they can take some lessons from each game and apply them moving forward in order to build some momentum throughout the rest of the season.