Box Score CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The 12th ranked Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team (23-4, 17-4 SAC) dropped their second game in a row as they were defeated by the visiting Lenoir-Rhyne Bears (18-8, 13-8 SAC) in an overtime thriller, 94-90, on Wednesday, February 24, 2016.
 
The Royals shot 40.6 percent from the field in the game, 12 makes came from beyond the arc. Queens outrebounded Lenoir-Rhyne 44-40 in the game and caused 16 turnovers that lead to 18 points for the Royals.
 
Sean Morgan led the way for the Royals as he ended the night with a double double, grabbing ten rebounds to go along with a team-high 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field. Todd Withers and Kendall Jones were deadly from three-point range as they combined to go 8-of-15 from downtown while adding 19 and 17 points respectively. Marquis Rankin also had a solid game as he added 12 points, five rebounds, and five assists on the night.
 
The first half was a back-and-forth battle between the Royals and Bears as neither team could take real control of the game. Lenoir-Rhyne started the game on a 6-0 and Queens answered with a 6-0 run of their own as Lewis' free throws made the score 6-6 with just under three minutes played in the game. The Royals would grab their first lead of the game, 17-15, as Jones knocked down a three pointer with 13:17 left on the clock. The lead would change multiple times over the next few minutes until the Bears went on yet another 6-0 run that was capped by a three ball by Will Perry to give Lenoir-Rhyne a 31-26 lead with 8:59 to play in the first half. Queens answered right back, taking the lead with 5:37 remaining as Morgan splashed a three pointer to give the Royals a 34-33 lead. Minutes later, the Bears would open up a seven points 46-39 lead that was sparked by a three pointer by Bobby Stenborg with 1:48 remaining until halftime. The Royals would answer the bell once again, closing the period out on a 5-0 run following Todd Wthers' three pointer, making the score 46-44 at the half.
 
After the Royals scored the first basket of the second half, Lenoir-Rhyne used a 7-2 run to take a 53-48 lead with 18:18 to play in the second half following Lucas Reed's three point basket. Queens worked to cut the lead down to four points, 59-55, as Jared Hendryx put in a layup with 12:58 remaining in the period. The Bears would then work to open up a 13-point, 71-58 lead as they went on a 12-3 run that ended with a Keenan Palmore layup with just eight minutes left in regulation. The Royals would not be deterred as they would go on a 13-2 run to cut the deficit down to only two points, 73-71, as Jones put in a teardrop layup and hit the following free throw as he was fouled during the layup attempt with 5:14 remaining in the game. Queens would make it a one-point game, 79-78, as Morgan splashed home a wide-open baseline jumper with just over two minutes left on the clock. Lenoir-Rhyne would do their best to eat the clock as much as possible, hitting 5-of-6 free throws over the next two minutes to give them an 84-78 lead with just 23 seconds remaining in the game. The following play, Withers would knock down a corner three pointer to cut the deficit to three, 84-81 with only 20 seconds to play. On the inbounds play, Rankin would steal the ball and make an acrobatic layup while being fouled. Rankin would make the free throw for the Royals, tying the game at 84 and sending the game to overtime.
 
Queens would start the overtime period off with a bang as Withers hit yet another three pointer to give the Royals an 87-84 lead with 4:30 remaining on the clock. Lenoir-Rhyne's Palmore would then take over the overtime period as he scored the team's first seven overtime points from both the charity stripe as well as from the field as he continuously drove to the basket to create points for the visitors, giving them a 91-87 lead with just under a minute to play. The Royals would struggle to find the bottom of the net in the overtime period as they made only 2-of-8 attempts and fell by the final score of 94-90 to the visiting Bears.
 
Keenan Palmore was a very important piece to the Bear's offense as he scored a game-high 36 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the field and 18-of-18 from the free throw line. He also added a team high 11 rebounds and seven assists in the game. Three other Lenoir-Rhyne players would add double-digit points as Will Perry, Reed Lucas, and Darrion Evans all scored over 13 points.
 
The Royals will close out the regular season on Saturday, February 27, as they make the trip to Greeneville, Tennessee in a matchup against Tusculum at 4:00 p.m.