CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball overcame an 11-point deficit Saturday night, as they defeated Limestone College 71-63 in Ovens Athletic Center. Winning their 11th consecutive game, the Royals (8-0, 12-4) now possess a 1.5-game cushion for first place over the Saints (6-1, 12-3).

The Royals' conference-leading scoring defense lived up to its stingy reputation, holding the Saints to 63 points – 15 fewer than their season average of 78.0.

Additionally, the Royals contained the conference's second leading scorer (23.6 ppg) and third leading rebounder (8.8 rpg), Jarrell Douglass, to 19 points and six rebounds on six-of-16 shooting.

“I'm proud of how our guys fought against an extremely talented and well-coached Limestone team,” said Royals head coach Wes Long. “That's a heck of a basketball team that Coach Scott has put together.”

Falling behind by as many as 11 in the first half, Reggie Hopkins (Gastonia, N.C., Ashbrook) rallied Queens back, scoring eight of his game-high 23 points in the final five minutes to bring the Royals within five at 35-30.

With 400-plus in attendance in the Oven, the Royals amped up the defensive intensity in the second half – forcing nine turnovers on 34.8 percent shooting.

After getting to the line for just a pair in the first half, the Royals were decisively more aggressive in the second half. The adjustment paid off, as they went 12-of-16 from the stripe down the stretch.

“I thought our guys played with more intelligence on the offensive end in the second half, and a greater effort on the defensive end in the second half,” said Long. “It was a great basketball game, all night. I thought it was two well-balanced teams who really made each other earn buckets. I know that we had to work very hard for every point we scored.”

Long and the crew return to the court Wednesday night when they travel to Mount Olive College (5-3, 10-6) for a 7:30 tip.