CHARLOTTE, N.C - The No. 5 Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team (6-0, 3-0 SAC) held off a late surge by Johnson C. Smith University (2-3, 0-0 CIAA) and defeated the Golden Bulls, 85-83, in a thrilling back and forth matchup at the Curry Arena. The Royals win their sixth straight to start the year.

The score was close early in the first half until the Royals went on a 16-4 run to jump out to a 31-18 lead with 10:17 remaining in the first half. However, the Golden Bulls stormed back on a 17-7 run to cut the deficit to 38-35 with 4:05 remaining in the first half. The two teams would trade baskets the rest of the way, as the Royals led, 46-40, at the half.

The Royals came out strong in the second half, outscoring the Golden Bulls 16-7 in the first six minutes of the second half, to extend their lead to 61-47. The Golden Bulls slowly clawed back in the second half before using a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to three, by a score of 74-71 with 6:07 to play. The Golden Bulls would take their first lead since early in the first half, 83-82, with 1:23 to play.

A midrange jumper and a free throw by Kenny Dye would give the Royals an 85-83 lead with 12 seconds remaining. Johnson C. Smith would take a timeout and scheme up one last shot. The Royals amped up their pressure and managed to get a crucial final stop to defeat the Golden Bulls.

Jamari Smith led the Royals in points, with 19, and rebounds with 8. Kenny Dye stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. BJ McLaurin and Josh Dilling provided key minutes off the bench, as McLaurin scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds, and Dilling scored 12 points while shooting 4-6 from three-point range.

The Royals shot 42% from the field and 34% from three-point range. The Royals bench was crucial in victory as they outscored the Golden Bulls bench, 35-25. The Royals crashed the boards hard, having 16 offensive rebounds and holding the Golden Bulls to 6 offensive rebounds. The Royals converted when getting second chances as they had 22 second chance points, while holding the Golden Bulls to only 10 second chance points.

The Royals return to action Wednesday, December 1^st, against Tusculum University in a key conference matchup at Curry Arena on the Queens Sports Network at 7:30pm. Be sure to follow the Royals men's basketball program on Twitter and Instagram to stay up to date on all the latest news and updates surrounding the team. Fans are also encouraged to follow Queens Athletics on social media @QueensAthletics to follow all of the Royals sports in action.