CHARLOTTE, N.C.- Queens outscored Mount Olive 18-1 over a span of 11 minutes across each half and the Royals took their biggest lead of the game at 60-44 after Marissa Hudley's (Charlotte, N.C., Harding University ) basket with 6:21 left to play. The run countered a Trojan 12 point lead and helped lift Queens over Mount Olive 77-64 in Conference Carolinas play.
The win extends the Royals winning streak to six and hasn't lost a league game since Dec. 5. Queens now is 7-6 overall and 6-2 in league play. The Royals are now third in the conference. Mount Olive is 6-7 overall and 5-3 in league play.
Mount Olive had a chance to tie the game after a defensive stop, but a three-point attempt was off the mark. Shakaria Hamlin (Hartsville, S.C., Hartsville) put back her own missed shot on Queens' next possession and Mount Olive never got closer than five the rest of the way. The Royals hit 8-of-8 free throws in the final 38 seconds.
In the first half, Laporsha Davis helped Mount Olive break away from a 7-7 tie, hitting a three-pointer and making a steal on Queens' next possession. Andrea Jones' layup finished a two-on-one fastbreak and capped a run of seven unanswered points for the Trojans.
Queens got as close as three points, but Davis hit another three-pointer and back-to-back baskets by Alyssa Luebs gave Mount Olive its biggest lead of the half at 25-13 with 9:52 remaining. But Queens scored the next six points and Jessica Lewis (Hampton, Va., Bethel) capped a 15-2 run with a three-pointer and a layup to give the Royals their first lead of the game at 28-27 with 3:41 left in the half.
Mount Olive regained the lead and Shequanta McGee's three-pointer with 1:09 remaining gave the Trojans a 36-31 lead. But Ashley McGuirt (Indian Trail, N.C., Providence Day) answered with a three for Queens and the Royals pulled within 36-35 at the break.
The Trojans committed four turnovers and missed their first 10 field goal attempts to start the second half. Hudley put Queens ahead to stay with a pair of free throws early in the second half and her three-point play with 15:07 left in the game completed a run of 11 unanswered points.
Moore's three-point play ended Mount Olive's scoring drought and Davis' layup pulled the Trojans within 49-42 with 9:56 remaining. But Queens scored the next nine points to build the lead to 16 and then withstood the Trojans' comeback.
Queens dominated the boards, outrebounding Mount Olive 50-20. The Royals pulled down 20 offensive boards and scored 26 second-chance points.
Hudley posted a double-double for Queens with game highs of 23 points and 13 rebounds. Hamlin added 17 points off the bench for the Royals.
Brittany Miller scored nine of her 11 points in the first half for Mount Olive, while McGee added 10 points for the Trojans. Davis dished out a game-high six assists, while McGee, Miller and Moore had four assists apiece. Moore recorded seven steals, one short of matching a career high.
