Firebirds Season Comes to a Close with 82-56 Defeat vs. Queens in ECC Semifinals

WASHINGTON, DC – East Coast Conference tournament host and No. 3 seed University of the District of Columbia was defeated by No. 2 seed Queens College, 82-56 in semifinal action from UDC Sports Complex Saturday afternoon.

The Firebirds (21-9), who earned their fourth 20-plus win season and made their fourth appearance in the ECC Semifinals both in the last five years, saw their season come to a close with today's loss. They were 9^th in the NCAA Division II East Region poll entering the tournament.

Queens (19-8) advances to face No. 4 seed Roberts Wesleyan, who is fresh off their upset victory over top-seeded NYIT in the first women's semifinal game of the day. The championship game will be played at UDC Sports Complex tomorrow at 12 p.m.

UDC had three seniors playing in their final collegiate basketball game score in double-figures as guard Myla Somerville tied her career-high with 12 points, Third Team All-ECC selection Iman Scott added 11, and First Team All-ECC honoree and four-year veteran, Tajruba Baldwin-Kollore, posted her 28^th double-figure scoring game this season with 10 points. Another four-year UDC veteran, forward Tatyana Calhoun, added eight points and six rebounds in her final game as a Firebird.

Queens was led by Third Team All-ECC guard Kristen Korzevinski's career-high 30 point scoring performance, as Korzevinski shot 12-of-16 from the field and 6-of-8 at the foul line. First Team All-ECC selection Madison Rowland registered a near triple-double performance, packing the stat sheet with 18 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists, three blocked shots and one steal. Sister Merrick Rowland added 11 points and six rebounds.  

The Knights out-shot UDC 46-percent to 30-percent from the field and 31-percent to 7-percent (1-of-15) from three-point range. Queens was also more efficient with the ball with 23 assists to just 11 turnovers, while UDC had only eight assists and 13 turnovers. Additionally, the Knights won the rebounding battle, 46-43 and out-scored UDC 34-26 in the paint.

Queens scored the first four points of the game and never trailed the entire game, racing out to early leads of 7-2 and 10-6 before taking control of the game with a 17-5 run in 6:26 to go up 27-11. Korzevinski scored 11 points during that Knights surge, and Queens would lead 27-13 at the end of the first quarter.

The Knights would out-scored UDC 9-4  in the first few minutes of the second quarter, as Merrick Rowland's three-pointer at 7:22 padded Queens' lead to 19, 36-17. UDC would close the half on a 6-2 run to close the gap to 14 at the break, 44-30.

Queens would steal back any momentum UDC had gained in the third quarter as the Knights opened on a 10-2 run aided by six Madison Rowland points. QC led 54-32 after a Korzevinski jump shot at 6:36. UDC would never come any closer than 16 the rest of the period as they headed to the 4^th quarter trailing 62-42.

UDC never got any closer than 19 in the final quarter as Queens went on to win by its largest margin of the day, 82-56.