Highlights

CHARLOTTE, N.C.  – Fifth-ranked Queens University of Charlotte defeated Lenoir-Rhyne University by a score of 73-61 in the quarterfinal round of the South Atlantic Conference Championships to advance to the semifinals in Greenville, S.C. for the fourth straight season. The Royals, seeded second in the Championships, improve to 27-2 on the year with the win while the Bears, seeded seventh, close their season at 11-16.
 
Senior duo Mike Davis and Todd Withers led the Royals with 18 points each on the night. Davis shot 5-of-7 from the floor and 3-of-4 from the three. He also totaled four rebounds, four assists, three steals, and a block. Withers shot 6-of-9 from the floor going 5-of-7 from the three. He also recorded seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block.
 
Holding a 13-12 lead over Lenoir-Rhyne with 12:40 on the clock in the first half, the Royals would use an 8-2 run to begin creating some space between themselves and Bears Lenoir-Rhyne answered pulling back within four, but another run for the Royals capped by a Withers three-pointer gave Queens its largest lead of the half, 30-19, with 5:57 left till the break. Queens then took a six-point lead into the locker room after Lenoir-Rhyne closed with an 8-2 spurt.
 
In the second, Queens quickly jumped out to a 10-point lead, 44-34, but the Bears responded once again cutting the margin to just three, 44-41, by 14:12. They then battled to knot the game at 55-55, with 8:11 left to play. Eleven unanswered points for Queens would follow putting the Royals on top for good. A fastbreak layup from Davis soon followed the run to give the home team its largest lead of the night, 70-57, before Queens eventually put the 12-point victory in the books.
 
After shooting 42.9-percent in the first half, the Royals shot 57.1-percent in the second half. For the game, Queens shot 52.2-percent from the three. The Royals also outrebounded the Bears, 35-24.
 
Ike Agusi added 12 points and six assists in the win while Daniel Carr totaled 11 points. Jalin Alexander chipped in with seven points and four rebounds. Shaun Willett totaled seven rebounds to match Withers, and Lewis Diankulu tallied six boards and two blocks.
 
Cory Thomas led the Bears with 22 points while Djibrill Diallo added 13 points.
 
The Royals will continue on their quest towards their second straight SAC Championship Title moving on to face either third-seeded Carson-Newman or sixth-seeded Newberry on Saturday, March 3 in Greenville, S.C. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Timmons Arena on the campus of Furman University. The Royals swept both the Eagles and the Wolves during the regular season.
 
Click below for highlights from Wednesday night's broadcast on the Queens Sports Network.