MARS HILL, N.C. - The Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team (7-1, 4-1 SAC) got a bounce-back win on Saturday afternoon by defeating Mars Hill University (4-5, 4-2 SAC), 95-80, at Stanford Arena. The Royals remain unbeaten on the road and keep pace at the top of the South Atlantic Conference with the victory.

The Royals jumped out to an early 12-4 lead, before the Lions went on a 16-0 run to take a 20-12 lead with 13:37 to play in the first half. The Lions would lead by as much as nine in the first half before the Royals would slowly claw back into the game. Kalib Matthews cashed in with a three-pointer to tie the game at 37-37 with 4:15 remaining in the first half.

The Lions would go on an 8-2 run to take a 45-39 lead with 2:28 to play in the first half. That was quickly followed by a 7-0 Royals run to end the half, capped off by a Quan McCluney buzzer-beating three-pointer to give the Royals a 46-45 halftime lead.

The Royals would come out hot in the second half, as they used a 9-3 run to take a 59-51 lead with 16:27 remaining. After the Lions cut the deficit back to five, the Royals would go on a quick 5-0 run to extend their lead to 70-60. The Royals would never lead by less than eight the rest of the way, as they kept the Lions at arm's length en route to a 95-80 impressive road victory.

Jay'Den Turner had a monster game posting a double-double for the Royals as he had a team-leading 21 points and 16 rebounds to pair with three blocks. Kenny Dye and Jamari Smith also notched 20 points of their own and Dye led the Royals with four assists. Kalib Matthews was crucial off the bench for the Royals, scoring eight points, including a pair of three-pointers. BJ McLaurin and Trey Hubbard also scored seven points each off the bench.

Queens shot an efficient 50.6% from the field. The Royals crashed the glass hard as they outrebounded the Lions 45-33 on the night, including 19 offensive rebounds for the Royals to just 11 offensive rebounds for the Lions. The Royals displayed their depth in the victory as the bench outscored the Lions 22-7.
The Royals will stay on the road again next week, as they have another conference affair with Newberry University on Wednesday, December 8^th, at 7:30pm at Eleazer Arena. Queens will return home on Saturday, Dec. 11 for a conference clash with Coker at 4:00 p.m.

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.