CHARLOTTE, N.C.- The Queens University of Charlotte women's basketball team (6-11, 5-11 SAC) battled hard inside Curry Arena but fell short in the end to Lenoir-Rhyne University (7-11, 6-10 SAC) on Monday night. Tonight's game was rescheduled from Jan. 5 due to COVID protocols.
 
Kalaya Hall finished with 25 points, four rebounds, four assists, and two blocks while Kristy Hamze added 19 points and two steals. In her starting debut, freshman guard Kennedy Fuller chipped in eight points, three rebounds, and two steals. A trio of Royals led under the glass as Malea Garrison, Finley Lefevers, and Jori Wilks each had six boards.
 
The Royals got off to a slow start in tonight's game finding themselves trailing the Bears, 13-3 with 5:41 on the clock. Lenoir-Rhyne extended the lead to as much as 12 before the Royals' offense got hot on the back of a jumper from Hamze, a three-point play from Hall, and a triple from Mikayla Sink. Queens trailed 20-12 at the end of the quarter.
 
Queens kept its offensive momentum in the second quarter, but the Bears' offense would not let up as they were able to maintain their lead. A late quarter layup from Fuller would give the game a 38-30 score heading into the halftime break.
 
Out of the break, the Royals made a push to take over control putting together a 9-4 run to close the gap to five, 44-39, with 6:45 on the clock. However, the Bears responded, catching fire on their offensive end to swell the margin back to 14 points, 58-44, by the end of the period.
 
An early jumper in the fourth from Lenoir-Rhyne's Emily Harman would increase their lead to 16, but the Royals would not go down quietly. Queens would use a 12-2 run to pull within six, 62-56, with 6:06 left to play. The Two teams then traded baskets for the remaining minutes and the Royals found themselves trailing by just four, 72-68, with 28-seconds to play. With time on the Bears' side, Queens was forced to foul and send Lenoir-Rhyne to the charity stripe where they connected on 4-of-4 to secure their win.  
 
The Royals had three players foul out of tonight's game while another two finished play with four fouls.
 
Four Bears reached double-digit scoring as Harman notched a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Brandi Hudson totaled 16 points, while Maddie Dillinger finished with 14 points and nine rebounds. Hannah Stull added 11 points.
 
The Royals are back at it on Wednesday, Feb. 2 as they travel to No. 20 Catawba to take on the Indians. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
 
Be sure to follow the Royals on Twitter and Instagram @queenswbb to stay up to date on all the latest news surrounding the women's basketball program. Additionally, follow Queens Athletics on all social media platforms by searching @QueensAthletics.