CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Fresh off of winning the Conference Carolinas regular-season championship, the top-seeded Royals' dreams of dual titles came to an end, as they fell to eighth-seeded Belmont Abbey
84-81 in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament Monday night at Ovens Athletic Center.
The Royals started the game zero-for-two from the field with four turnovers, opening the door for the Crusaders to go on a 10-0 run in the first 3:44. Hitting 41.9 percent of their first-half shots, the Royals would rally back to cut the lead to one at 11-12.
Despite a combined 24 first-half points from
Reggie Hopkins (Gastonia, N.C., Ashbrook) and
Antonio Stabler (Garner, N.C., Wakefield), the Royals struggled to keep pace with the Crusaders. Their first-half struggles revolved around containing Richard Barbee – who was held to just 16 points in their prior meeting – as the senior guard went off for 14 points in the opening 20 minutes to give the Crusaders a 39-37 advantage at the end of the half.
Coming out of the break, the Royals quickly tied the game at 39 before the Crusaders went on a 7-0 run to push it back to a three-possession game. Queens would work to shrink the lead, cutting the deficit back down to one with 4:41 remaining.
Continuing to fight, the Royals were unable to come up with defensive stops down the stretch. Trailing 77-80, the Royals surrendered a crushing layup at the hands of Kyle Phillips to go down five with 25 seconds remaining.
Playing his final game in the Oven, senior guard Hopkins left it all on the table, sinking a pair of three-point buckets in the final nine seconds. The second trey cut the lead to 82-81, but with just six seconds on the clock, the Royals were forced to foul and send Tyshawn Good to line. Converting both free throws, Good effectively sealed the game to send the Crusaders to the semifinals to face #5 Pfeiffer.
Ranked No.4 in the Southeast Region, the Royals will now wait to see if their name is called on Selection Sunday.
Stay tuned for information regarding Selection Sunday.
