Box Score BREVARD, N.C. – A second half comeback was cut short in today's men's basketball game at Brevard College (2-6) as the Royals fell 81-78 to the Tornados. Queens University of Charlotte (3-5) now sits at 2-3 in the South Atlantic Conference, while Brevard improves to 2-3 in the league.
 
Senior guard Jarrett Stokes led the Royals in scoring with 31 points, shooting 10-19 from the floor. Twelve of those shots came from behind the three-point line where Stokes connected on six attempts. He was also a perfect 5-5 from the foul line.
 
Senior forward Josh Clyburn added 13 points, shooting 4-6 from the floor and 5-7 from the foul line, while junior forward Nkosi Ali added 10 points in his season debut. Ali also led the Royals under the glass with eight rebounds on the day.
 
After putting just eight shots in the basket in the opening half, the Royals found themselves trailing the Tornados 43-29 at the break. A three-pointer from Brevard's Trevon Shaw at 7:26 would give the Tornados their largest lead, 32-6, of the day before the Royals were able to find some offense and cut Brevard's lead to 14 heading into the locker room.
 
A 12-0 run sparked by nine straight points from Stokes would be just what the Royals needed in the second half as they chopped the Tornados lead down to five, 53-48, with 11:47 to play. Out of the under 12 media timeout, Queens' Ali would cut Brevard's lead to one, 55-54, with three-points the old-fashioned way.
 
Queens would have to wait a few minutes to see their first lead of the game after a three-point basket from Stokes put the Royals ahead, 61-60, at 8:10. They controlled the lead keeping a 1-to-3 point margin between themselves and the Tornados until back-to-back threes allowed Brevard to take a 77-74 lead with just 1:57 to play.
 
Stokes, having the hot hand for Queens, responded with a three of his own to tie the game for the fourth time, but a three-pointer from Brevard's Miles Leathers would be the dagger to put Queens away. With time running off in the final minute, the Royals were forced to foul sending the Tornados to the free-throw line where they secured the win.
 
Queens shot 61.5 percent in the second half of today's game to outscore the Tornados 49-38. The Royals also shot 70 percent from behind the three-point arc.
 
Leathers led Brevard's offense today with 26 points. Shaw added 19 points, while Darius Moose recorded a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
 
The Royals are at home on December 19 at 7 p.m. against Barber Scotia before taking a break for the holidays.