LAURINBURG, N.C.- Senior Patrick Fox (Eden, N.C. , Morehead) scored 17 of his game-high 20 points in the second half including the go-ahead basket with 99 seconds left to lead the Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team to a 73-66 Conference Carolinas victory over host St. Andrews Presbyterian College on Thursday night in Harris Court.
Freshman Daniel Bailey (Irmo, S.C., Hammond ) added a double-double for the Royals, who snapped a six-game losing streak improving to 3-12 overall and 2-6 in the league. Bailey drained 13 points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.
Senior Taiwon Grooms (Landover, Md.) tallied his second double-double of the season with team-high totals of 16 points and 10 boards but the Knights still dropped their seventh straight game, sliding to 3-13 overall and 1-9 in the league. Grooms has 11 career double-doubles.
The two teams played an even first half with Knights' junior Colby Poe (Bennettsville, S.C.) finally breaking the eighth tie of the period with a lay-up. Freshman teammate Micah Baines (Wilson, N.C.) sunk a pair of free throws in the final secons of the period to double up the Knights' lead at halftime, 30-26.
Poe opened up the second half by drilling a pair of three-pointers in the first two minutes to extend home lead to 36-26 (the 10 points advantage being the largest lead of the game). Queens erased the deficit with a 12-2 outburst over the next three minutes but St. Andrews quickly regained an eight-point cushion (46-38) with the next eight points. The Royals once again fought back and a knotted the score at 50-50 with a 12-4 surge.
Poe and senior Joseph Gripper (Charlotte, N.C.) each netted 13 points for St. Andrews. Poe also corralled five rebounds and made a game-high three steals.
After four more ties, Baines hit an 18-footer from the right key to give the Knights a 64-62 lead heading into the final three minutes of regulation. Freshman Charles Burgess (Spartanburg, S.C., Boiling Springs) swished a three-pointer to catapult the Royals back on top but sophomore Zack Garst (Huntersville, N.C.) made a powerful lay-up to slingshot St. Andrews ahead, 66-65.
Garst and freshman Jeremy Hearst (Jacksonville, N.C.) both totaled eight points. Baines provided five points and a team-high three assists.
Fox drove the lane on the ensuing play and made a basket in the paint with 1:39 showing the clock for the eighth and final lead change. The key hoop started an 8-0 Queens' run down the stretch as the Knights had an offensive foul followed by three missed shots on their final four possessions. The Royals made 6-of-8 free throws in the final minute to pull out to the seven-point victory.
Queens shot 41.5-percent (22-of-53) in the game including 50.0% (12-of-24) in the second half. SAPC was 37.3% (22-of-59) from the floor. Both teams grabbed 34 rebounds. The Knights committed fewer turnovers, 12-9, but were whistled for more fouls, 25-20, including three starters fouling out down the stretch.
Burgess scored 11 points for the Royals; Sophomore Reggie Hopkins (Gastonia, N.C., Ashbrook) and freshman Preston Newlin (Graham, N.C., Graham) supplied nine points apiece; and freshman Jonaldaren Baldwin (Burlington, N.C., Graham) scored eight. Fox added seven rebounds and Bailey handed out a team-high three assists.
St. Andrews has the weekend off before hosting Conference Carolinas foe Mount Olive College on Monday at 7:30 p.m. Queens hosts arch-rival Belmont Abbey College on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
