UDC Men’s Basketball Snaps Four-Game Losing Streak with 89-79 ECC Win vs. Queens

WASHINGTON, DC – The University of the District of Columbia men's basketball team snapped a four-game losing streak with an 89-79 East Coast Conference victory over Queens College Wednesday night at the UDC Sports Complex.

The Firebirds improved to 5-10 in league play (5-18 overall) with tonight's win while Queens fell to 5-10 in the ECC (5-17 overall).

UDC, which shot a blistering 51-percent from the field, 48-percent from three-point range, and 86-percent from the free-throw line, featured a balanced offensive attack with five double-figure scorers. Sophomore guard Reggie Sidbury (Social Work – Landover, MD/Charles Herbert Flowers HS) led all Firebird scorers with 16 points as he knocked down 4-of-7 three-pointers – all in the first half. Freshman guard Kory Cooley (Art – Silver Spring, MD/Calvin Coolidge HS) added 15 points on 6-of-8 FG shooting, senior point guard Quasim Jones (Mass Media – Philadelphia, PA/Johnson CC) contributed 13 points and a game-high five assists, and junior guard Omar Abbas (Electrical Engineering – Alexandria, Egypt/Egyptian American HS) finished with 12 points off of the bench on 4-of-5 shooting from behind-the-arc.

Junior forward Clenson Brannon III led the team with nine rebounds while also scoring a season-high 10 points which included a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line.

Queens was led by forward Paul Little with team-highs of 22 points and nine rebounds and guard Jeremiah Mordi with 20 points.

The Knights shot well – 45-percent from the field, 35-percent from three-point range, but not well enough to keep up with the Firebirds. They also were done in by 15-of-24 (63-percent) free-throw shooting and 11 turnovers that turned into 23 UDC points. The Firebirds' depth also played a key role in the victory as UDC's bench out-scored Queens', 42-14.

Little scored the game's first seven points and back-to-back three-pointers by Diego Maldonado and Kyheim Chaplin all contributed to Queens jumping out to a 17-7 lead nearly six minutes into the action. With UDC still trailing 20-12 just past the 12-minute mark, Kooley kicked off a 12-3 Firebirds run with his first three-pointer of the night, and Jones later capped the run with a three-pointer to pull UDC within one, 23-22, with 8:21 left in the first half.

Chaplin would respond for Queens with his second three-pointer of the night to put the Knights up 26-22, but that set off a three-point shooting assault by UDC led by Sidbury. The sharp-shooting sophomore buried three consecutive three-pointers, and later a fourth after senior guard Michael Terry (Criminal Justice – Philadelphia, PA/Boston U) made one as well, and suddenly UDC was on top 40-30 courtesy of an 18-8 stretch over a 3:20 span.

Back came the Knights, as Little led Queens on a 9-0 march with five points of his own to bring the visitors within one, 40-39, but the Firebirds closed out the half with a 7-0 response, and took a 47-39 lead at halftime.

The Firebirds lead was 12 almost three minutes into the second half when Queens closed to within three (55-52) after a 9-0 run, culminating in a Maldonado three-pointer just past the 14-minute mark. The Firebirds answered, however, with a 17-4 power surge highlighted by two three-point field goals by Abbas and one by fellow reserve guard, Erin Senegal (Political Science – Lafayette, LA/Caldwell). Freshman guard Masner Beauplan (Business Management – East Orange, NJ/Winslow Township HS) completed the run with a conventional three-point play, and UDC had its largest lead of the night, 72-56 right around the eight-minute mark.

Still ahead by 14 (74-60) at the 6:30 mark, the Firebirds allowed the Knights to cut the lead to five after another 9-0 run, helped by five consecutive points by Mordi. Following a Queens timeout, Abbas knocked down a crucial three-pointer to stop the bleeding and up the UDC lead to 77-69 with 3:37 remaining in regulation.

The Knights closed to within five (83-78) once more at the 1:17 mark, but the Firebirds made 6-of-6 from the free-throw line down the stretch, including four consecutive free-throws by Sidbury, and they went on to win by a 10-point margin.

UDC will stay in the nation's capital to host ECC foe Molloy on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. The UDC Athletic Department will be hosting Wounded Warrior Project Day in conjunction with the game, and will be selling a limited amount of t-shirts at the game.