WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following Friday night's victory over Howard University, the Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team took on its third straight NCAA Division I opponent in Belmont University on Saturday afternoon on day three of the Paradis Jam from the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Belmont, a 2020 NCAA Tournament qualifier, pulled away late for a 73-61 win over the Royals to claim the tournament title.
 
Junior Kelyn Pennie opened the game with a 3-pointer for Queens (1-2) as the Royals jumped out to an early 10-4 lead over the game's first five and a half minutes of action. Another long ball from Pennie put Queens ahead by nine, 15-6, with 12:32 to play before a brief 8-0 spurt from Belmont (3-0) cut the Royals lead to one with 10:46 to go in the first half.
 
Queens answered with consecutive free throws from junior Malcolm Stevenson to stay ahead but back-to-back buckets from Bruins' junior center Nick Muszynski gave Belmont its first lead of the game with 9:20 left on the clock. Junior Luke Smith buried a 3-pointer to move the Belmont lead to four points, 21-17, as the Bruins led by as much as 15 points in the opening half.
 
Pennie nailed his third 3-pointer of the game to being the second half as a jumper from sophomore Jay'Den Turner cut the Belmont lead to just three points, 37-34, with 17:29 left on the clock. A breakaway dunk from Turner just one minute later tied the score at 39-all.
 
The score was again tied at 41-all on two Stevenson free throws before Stevenson's continued success at the charity strip put Queens ahead 43-41 with 13:08 to go. A jumper from Belmont's Grayson Murphy quickly tied the game and sparked a 30-13 run that lasted nearly 11 minutes to put the game away for the Bruins.
 
Queens held a 43-35 edge in totaling rebounds and won the turnover battle, however the Bruins shot 49.1 percent from the floor and outscored the Royals 34-30 in the paint.
 
Stevenson led the offensive charge for Queens, scoring a game-high 19 points to go along with eight rebounds in 33 minutes of play. Fellow junior Kenny Dye recorded 13 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Pennie was 4-for-6 from deep to finish with 12 points. Turner led the team with 11 rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass, and chipped in seven points.
 
The Royals are scheduled to open South Atlantic Conference play in their next game on Wednesday, December 2 against Coker University in Hartsville, S.C.