CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Queens University of Charlotte's men's basketball fell 61-70 in their season open at Winthrop University Saturday afternoon.

Antonio Stabler (Garner, N.C., Wakefield) posted the Royals' first double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Brandon Nichols (Fayetteville, N.C., Jack Britt) and Daniel Bailey (Irmo, S.C., Hammond ) also scored in double figures. Nichols hit five-of-six shots, including two-of-three from deep, to net 12 points, while Bailey added 11 points and six rebounds.

George Valentine had his first career double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds for Winthrop. Reggie Middleton added 15 points while Justin Burton and Andre Jones had 10 each. 

Winthrop appeared to be cruising early toward an easy win, as Gideon Gamble drilled a three-pointer from straight away to put Winthrop up 20-10 with just over 10 minutes left in the first half. Julius Francis, Winthrop's 6-11 red-shirt freshman from Nigeria, scored his first collegiate points with 9:40 remaining on a tip-in.

Joab Jerome gave his team a 13-point advantage at 35-22 with his first points on a baseline jumper with just over three minutes remaining in the first half. The Eagles would expand that lead to 14 going into halftime.

Coming out of the break, Queens made their first three buckets of the second half to trim the Winthrop lead to 37-29 before Middleton answered with a baseline jumper to extend the margin back to 10. 

The Royals refused to wilt and trimmed the deficit to seven at 43-36 following a three-point play by Bailey after he threw down a dunk and converted a free throw with 12:45 left in the contest.  A three-pointer by Sean Eads (Greenville, S.C., Eastside) cut Winthrop's lead to 47-41 with 10:06 to play.

Winthrop was never able to put the Royals away after going up by 10 again, Nichols connected on a three-pointer from the right wing to draw Queens to within seven once again at 51-44 with just over eight minutes left on the clock. The Royals got to within six at 54-48 when Nichols hit another trey following one by Gamble.

The Royals would continue to battle and keep within 10 points. Down eight, a Reggie Hopkins (Gastonia, N.C., Ashbrook) bucket dipped the lead to six at 53-59 with 2:32 remaining. Continuing to make baskets, the Royals failed to get the defensive stops they needed down the stretch to complete the upset.

With the conference opener against Coker College under a month away, the Royals have some things to work on – and that's alright with Queens head coach Wes Long.

“Sometimes a win isn't the best thing for your team,” said Long. “Don't get me wrong, we came down here to win the game, but Winthrop was the better team tonight and they deserved to win.

“There are times when a team wins a big game and they don't think they need to work hard anymore. A game where we're in it through the final minutes and come up just short – that's something that's going to motivate our guys.”

The Royals go back on the road Friday when they travel to Hickory, N.C. for the Tip-Off Classic where they will take on Wingate University and Lenoir-Rhyne University.

Queens defeated Wingate, 89-88, in last season's Tip-Off Classic on a buzzer-beater from Nichols.