WINGATE, N.C. – Playing with just eight eligible members of the roster, the Queens University of Charlotte women's basketball team fell short of an upset, falling by a 52-49 score to rival Wingate University inside Cuddy Arena.
 
The two sides combined for 43 total turnovers, but the Bulldogs (12-6, 6-5 SAC) held a 38-35 rebounding edge and tallied eight total blocks.
 
The Royals (4-13, 3-8 SAC) kept things close in the first quarter, trailing by just five points, 15-10, after 10 minutes of play. Wingate opened the second period with a Jaxson Douglas 3-pointer, but junior Kristian Eanes answered with a 3-pointer of her own a minute later.
 
Wingate's lead stretch to a nine-point edge, 24-15, with 6:05 to play before the Royals rallied with 10 unanswered points, including two layups from Eanes and consecutive 3-pointers from sophomore Tia McMillian, that put Queens ahead 25-24 with 2:37 remaining in the half. A Hannah Clark 3-pointer put the Bulldogs back in front by two, 27-25, as both sides went scoreless for the final two minutes of the half.
 
The Bulldogs' remained in front for the entirety of the second half despite Queens pulling close multiple times. Trailing by seven with just over three minutes to play, Eanes hit one of two free throw attempts and McMillian knocked down her fourth 3-pointer of the game to cut the deficit to three, 49-46, 1:14 on the clock.
 
Eanes hit back-to-back free throws with 40 second on the clock to cut the Wingate lead to one, 49-48, before Teliyah Jeter made one of two free throws to put the Bulldogs back in front by two points late. Wingate put away two free throws with seven seconds remaining to seal the contest as a Queens 3-pointer at the buzzer fell short.
 
Eanes finished with a game-high 20 points, five rebounds and eight steals on defense for Queens. McMillian matched her career-high with 14 points, while redshirt-freshman Taylor Stevens chipped in eight points and five rebounds.
 
The Royals remain on the road as they travel to Hickory, N.C. on Saturday, Jan. 25 for a conference tilt with Lenoir-Rhyne University.