UDC Men’s Basketball Shoots Well, Rebounds Poorly in Loss at Queens

FLUSHING, NY – The Firebirds shot 46-percent from the field including 40-percent from three-point range, but Queens had nearly twice as many rebounds (46-24) which translated to 20 more shot attempts, 22 second-chance points, 40 points in the paint, and ultimately, a 77-58 victory over the University of the District of Columbia in East Coast Conference play Wednesday night.

Junior transfer forward Lenjo Kilo (Biology – Silver Spring, MD/Seton Hill) led the Firebirds with team-highs of 17 points and five rebounds. Meanwhile, freshman guard Reggie Sidbury (Social Work – Landover, MD/Charles Herbert Flowers HS) registered 16 points on 5-of-9 FG shooting and 4-of-4 shooting from the free-throw line, and sophomore guard Omar Abbas (Electrical Engineering – Alexandria, Egypt/Egyptian American HS) added 11 points. Also, junior point guard Prince Ritson (Psychology – Greenbelt, MD/Bowie State) dished a game-high six assists while also scoring six and collecting two steals.

Queens, who completed the season sweep of the Firebirds and improved to 7-17 (7-11 ECC), was led by guard Patrick Parker's 22 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals. Fellow backcourt mate Jeremiah Mordi also had a big day with 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three blocked shots and three steals. Forward Amir Tarif registered a double-double of 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds as well.

Sidbury scored seven points in the first six minutes of play, helping the Firebirds force an 11-all tie at the 14:39 mark, but an 18-5 charge by the Knights put Queens ahead, 29-16 approaching the nine minute mark. The Knights would lead by as many as 15 in the first half but take a 14-point cushion, 45-31 into the break.

Queens opened the second half on a 7-2 run, going up 52-33 on a dunk by Dejuhan Gray at the 18 minute mark. The lead would swell at 24 just past the seven minute marker, but the Firebirds did not go away without a fight. Trailing 70-49 with 3:47 remaining, UDC went on a 9-1 surge to close within 13 with 2:08 showing on the clock. Queens would end the game on a 6-0 run to win the game by a final margin of 19.

Next up, the Firebirds will visit ECC foe Molloy on Saturday, February 22^nd at 2:30 p.m.