GREENVILLE, S.C.  – The fifth-ranked Queens University of Charlotte Royals faced top-ranked Lincoln Memorial University for the third time this season in the South Atlantic Conference Men's Basketball Championship Final falling narrowly by a score of 77-75. Queens will now move on to the NCAA Championships with a record of 28-3 while the Railsplitters improve to 30-1.  
 
Todd Withers led the Royals totaling 18 points and seven rebounds. Jalin Alexander added 17 points and eight rebounds, while Daniel Carr followed with 14 points and five rebounds. Shaun Willett added 10 points and six rebounds. Following the game, both Willett and Withers were named to the all-tournament team.
 
The Royals' offense was firing on all cylinders in the opening half of this afternoon's rematch shooting 52-percent from the floor to head into the break with a 41-36 lead over Lincoln Memorial. However, Queens would struggle in the second half shooting just 28.57-percent from the floor allowing the Railsplitters to take over control of the game.
 
Trailing by 11, 73-62, with just 4:36 left in regulation, the Royals put together a 7-0 run to pull within four, 73-69, with 2:50 on the clock. A 6-2 spurt then followed Queens tying the game at 75-75 before LMUs Dorian Pinson scored the game-winner on a jumper in the paint with seven seconds to play. Queens' Withers had a good opportunity to knot the game on a final second out of bounds play, but his contested layup would roll off the rim as the horn sounded.
 
Following a jumper from LMU's Dorian Pinson to start the game, Queens' Lewis Diankulu scored three points the old-fashioned way to give the Royals their first lead of the day. The Royals went on to rattle off nine unanswered points to lead 9-2 with 14:32 on the clock. The Railsplitters responded cutting the margin to three numerous times throughout the half, but the Royals answered back each time to stay in front. After a dunk from LMU's Emanuel Terry cut the Railsplitters' deficit to four, 34-30, with 3:14 to play, Willet and Withers quickly answered with a layup and a triple to extend Queens' lead back out to nine, 39-30. The Royals then went on to take a 41-36 lead into the locker room.
 
The Railsplitters quickly tied things up out of the break opening the second with an 8-3 run to knot the game at 44-44 with 17:05 to play. Carr would knock down a three-pointer to keep things in Queens' favor, but five straight points from LMU followed putting them in front, 49-47, at 15:01. LMU would hold on to its lead until Queens' run late in the game.  
 
Queens shot 45-percent from the three this afternoon despite posting a 39.6 field goal percentage for the game. Withers led the way shooting 6-of-10 from deep. The Royals also won the battle under the glass outrebounding Lincoln Memorial, 36-28.
 
Pinson led the Railsplitters with 31 points and eight rebounds. Calhoun added 19 points while Taylor totaled 16 points. Terry, SAC Player of the Year, was held to eight points and four rebounds in just 19 minutes of action.
 
Despite today's loss, Queens will advance to compete in the NCAA DII Men's Basketball Championships for the 11^th time in program history and the third straight year. The Royals were ranked No. 2 in the final NCAA Southeast Region rankings and they will find out this evening during the NCAA Selection Show of their opponent. The show will air at 10:30 p.m.