Highlights
Postgame Interview with Shaun Willett

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Led by Shaun Willett's fourth career double-double the seventh-ranked Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team (1-0) used a 20-0 mid-game run to take control and defeat William Jewell College (0-1), 101-87, on Saturday afternoon in the opening game of the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic presented by Hillyard at St. Joseph Civic Arena. Willett tied a career high with 19 points, pacing five Royals in double figures, and set a new career high with 16 rebounds.

Queens trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half, before two consecutive made free throws by Daniel Carr with 2:15 remaining sparked the late first-half surge. Jachai Taylor capped the run with 3-point field goals on back-to-back possessions to give Queens a 46-39 halftime lead. Taylor finished the game with 13 points and nine rebounds on five of 11 shooting and three of six from outside.

The Royals scored the first five points out of the locker room, stretching the lead to 51-39 when Van Turner Jr. connected on a 3-pointer. Turner added 15 points in his Queens debut. Kevion Blaylock, also making his debut, helped push the lead to 14 points, when a two-handed dunk made it 69-55.

The Cardinals twice cut the deficit to a single possession late in the second, at 73-71, and then again at 88-85 when Keith Hayes drained a three en route to a game-high 25 points. However, William Jewell never tied or took the lead and Queens closed the game on 13-2 run to seal the victory.

Carr tied a career-high with 17 points and set a new career-high with eight assists while Armoni Lee added 15 points. The Royals outrebounded the Cardinals 47-23, including a 15-0 margin on the offensive glass.

Queens returns to action on Sunday night in the final game of the Classic versus Northern State University in a rematch of last year's national semifinal game. Opening tipoff is scheduled for 8:45 p.m. eastern. Live play-by-play coverage will be available on the Queens Sports Network.

Click below for highlights from Saturday's broadcast on the Queens Sports Network.



Click below for the postgame interview with Shaun Willett.