CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team (10-2, 7-2 SAC) defeated No. 10 Lincoln Memorial University (9-2, 6-2 SAC), 82-80, in a thrilling South Atlantic Conference matchup between two top twenty-five teams at Curry Arena. The Royals take a share of first place in the conference with Tusculum University and get their third straight victory.

The Railsplitters came out on fire to start the game, using three made three pointers to take a 13-4 advantage with 16:04 remaining in the first half. The Royals would come storming back with a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 13-11 with 13:48 to play in the first half. The Royals took their first lead of the game, 23-21 on a Trey Hubbard made three-pointer with 9:58 remaining in the first half.

The game would remain a back-and-forth affair, with neither team never team gaining an advantage of above 5 points the rest of the half. To end the half, the Railspltters caught fire on the offensive end using a 10-0 run to take a 40-35 lead before a late layup by the Royals cut the Railsplitters deficit to 40-37 at the half.

As the second half got underway both teams remained in a stalemate. There were 4 lead changes in just the first 8 minutes of the second half. Trailing by two, 57-55, the Royals used a 10-0 run to jump out to their biggest lead of the night, 65-57 with 10:09 to play.

Over the final 10 minutes the Railsplitters remained feisty and clawed their way back before tying the game, 72-72 with 4:15 to play. They would then bury two-three pointers to take a 78-74 lead with 3:14 to play. The Royals would not be denied, however, attacking the basket hard and using four made three throws to tie the game once more, 78-79 with 57 second remaining.

With 18 seconds remaining Jamari Smith nailed a mid-range jumper from 15 feet away to give the Royals a late lead, 80-78 with 18 seconds to play. The Railsplitters, still refusing to go away, were fouled and made two clutch free throws to bring the score to an 80-80 stalemate.

With no timeouts, Kenny Dye would take the inbounds pass coast-to-coast to get the game-winning layup with two seconds to play. The three-quarter court heave would fall short for the Railsplitters, as the Royals notch an impressive conference victory.

Jamari Smith had career-high 28 points to lead the Royals. Smith also led the Royals with 8 rebounds. Kenny Dye was huge for the Royals scoring 24 points, including the game-winner, as well as a team-high 4 assists. Quan McCluney hit two clutch free throws late for the Royals and also notched 10 points and 6 rebounds on the night.

The Royals were tenacious on the offensive glass, corralling 11 offensive rebounds and converting them for 16 second-chance points. The Royal's defense was stifling, forcing 13 Railsplitter turnovers, while the Royals took great care of the basketball, only having 5 turnovers of their own.

The Royals have a quick turnaround, as they return to action this Monday, December 20th against Johnson & Wales University at Curry Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7pm and the game will be broadcast on the Queens Sports Network. Be sure to follow the men's basketball Twitter and Instagram to stay up to date with all the latest updates surrounding the programs. Fans are also encouraged to follow Queens Athletics @QueensAthletics for all the latest updates surrounding Queens Athletics.