Box Score GREENEVILLE, TENN. – The 12th ranked Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team (23-5, 17-5 SAC) dropped their third straight game in a row as they fell to the upset minded Tusculum Pioneers (14-14, 9-13 SAC) by the score of 96-89 in double overtime on Saturday, February 27, 2016.
 
The Royals shot 44.6 percent from the field, but were only able to knock down 5-of-24 three pointers in the game. Both teams would turn the ball over 16 times apiece, but the Pioneers would outrebound the Royals 53-41, which included 23 offensive rebounds that would be converted into 23 second chance points for Tusculum.
 
Queens had five players score in double figures, led by Rob Lewis' 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field and 4-of-8 shooting from the free throw line. Lewis was followed by Sean Morgan and Todd Withers who each added 16 points, Marquis Rankin who scored 15 points, and Jared Hendryx who put in 13 points in the game. Daniel Camps continued to be strong crashing the boards as he added 13 rebounds to go along with his nine points.
 
After five minutes played in the game, the teams were deadlocked at eight as Hendryx knocked down the second of two free throw attempts. Tusculum used an 8-2 run to jump out to an 18-10 lead as Javon Price hit a three pointer with 10:54 to play in the first half. Later in the first half, Withers would splash home a three pointer off of an assist from Kendall Jones that cut the Pioneers lead down to only five, 27-22, with just over five minutes to play until halftime. The Pioneers' Darius Carter scored the last points of the first half, as his layup would give them an eight point, 37-29 lead at the break.
 
Tusculum would continue their strong play to start the second half as they started the half on a 7-2 run that would break the lead open and make the score 44-31 with 18:44 left on the clock. The Royals would continue to trail by double figures until the 9:36 mark of the second half when they went on a 6-0 run that was highlighted by a Hendryx dunk that made the score 58-53 in favor of the Pioneers. Shortly thereafter, Queens would go on another run, this time a 7-0 run that would tie the game at 63 after Rankin nailed both of his free throws with just under five minutes remaining in the second half. Lewis' jumper with 3:41 left on the clock would give the Royals their first lead since the early moments of the game as they took a 67-65 lead. The lead would change hands a few more times as the Pioneers would hold a three point, 74-71 lead with just fifteen seconds left in the game. Queens would have the right play drawn up to tie the game, as Rankin got the ball to an open Withers who knocked down a corner three pointer with eight seconds left to send the game to overtime with a score of 74-74.
 
In the first overtime period, neither team would get out to a lead larger than three points, as Tusculum held a three point lead early, but the Royals would answer, scoring five straight points and taking a two point, 79-77 lead with 2:45 to play in the overtime period. Rankin drove to the basket and put in an acrobatic layup to make the score 81-79 in favor of the Royals with five seconds to play, but Tusculum drove down the court quickly and Javon Price would be fouled on his shot attempt, making both free throws, to send the game to double overtime.
 
Camps would open the second overtime with a layup to give the Royals an 83-81 lead, but the lead would quickly change hands as Tusculum's Carter would complete an old fashioned three point play to take an 84-83 lead with just over four minutes to play in the second overtime period. Morgan's free throws with 2:35 to play in the period would put the Royals back in front, 87-85. Over the next two minutes, the Pioneers scored nine straight points, five of which came in a twelve second spurt, as Cory Fagan knocked down a three pointer, Vincent Brown stole the ball from Lewis, and Javon Price would hit two free throws, giving Tusculum a 94-87 lead with just twenty seconds left in the game and would complete the upset over the Royals by a final score of 96-89.
 
Javon Price had a career night for the Pioneers as he scored 37 points to go along with seven rebounds and six assists in the upset victory. Three other players scored in double digits as Kendall Patterson added 17 points, Darius Carter put in 12, and Matt Shown scored 11 in the game.
 
The Royals complete the season in second place in the South Atlantic Conference standings, giving them a home game in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament on Wednesday, March 2nd at 7:00 p.m. against the seventh place Catawba Indians.