Box Score CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Despite Queens University of Charlotte's Antonio Stabler (Garner, N.C., Wakefield) leading all on the court with 28 points, the Royals were unable to put away Limestone College this evening at the Grady Cole Center. The Royals fell 76-75 in a tightly contested match, dropping their league record to 2-2. Queens is now 4-5 on the season. The Saints improved to 4-0 in Conference Carolinas action and 8-2 overall.
 
Queens' Stabler shot 9-of-17 from the floor and 9-of-10 from the foul line. He also pulled down seven rebounds. Brandon Nichols (Fayetteville, N.C., Jack Britt) was just a rebound away from a double-double recording 20 points and nine rebounds. The senior guard shot nearly 70-percent from the floor. Freshman guard Tre McLean (Charleston, S.C., West Ashley) scored 10 points.
 
The Royals began the game on a 7-0 run before the Saints were able to get into a rhythm tying the game up at 16-16 with 12:27 on the clock. A 5-2 spurt would give the Royals a three-point lead just before Limestone's Rashod Chavis tied the game at 21-21 with a bucket and a free-throw. The Saints would then score six unanswered points forcing the Royals to take a timeout as they trailed 27-21 with 7:09 in the half. Queens would tie the game up once more before heading into the break, down 37-31.
 
Limestone's largest lead came in the second when they went ahead by nine, 53-44, at 13:27. However, the Royals would stay on their heels chipping away at the margin. Queens cut Limestone's lead to one, 60-59, at 6:13 behind the scoring of Stabler and Nichols over the seven minute span. Unfortunately, a five point swing from Limestone would put the visiting team back ahead by six.
 
Queens' Stabler would bring Queens back to within one on two more occasions, but Limestone had an answer each time. Trailing by two with 19 seconds on the clock, following a scored basket by Nichols and missed foul shots by the Saints' Joe Raga, the Royals had their final chance to tie the game up, coming up short as the Saints escaped with the win.
 
Josh Corry led the Saints with 15 points, while Raga scored 11. Mike Barrett and Chavis scored 10 apiece.
 
Queens returns to the court for a rematch with Carson-Newman College on Saturday at 2 p.m.