HICKORY, N.C. --- For the second time in a week, the Lenoir-Rhyne Men's Basketball Team defeated a nationally ranked opponent, this time topping #16/24 Queens by a final score of 82-80 on Saturday afternoon. Queens had three great looks to tie the game in the final seconds but the Bears got the crucial win to improve to 7-1 since the calendar flipped to 2020.   

Inside the Matchup:
Final: Lenoir-Rhyne 82, Queens 80
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (11-6, 7-5 SAC), Queens (14-4, 9-3 SAC)
Location: Shuford Gym  I Hickory, N.C.

Stats of the Game:

• The back-and-forth affair saw 15 lead changes and eight ties with neither team gaining a lead larger than eight points. LR's biggest lead of the game came with 1:21 to play after a made free throw by Darius Simmons put the Bears up 81-74. However, the Royals came storming back and cut the advantage to one with 14 seconds to play. 
• After a Tyson McClain free throw with 13 second to go made the score 82-80, Queens had a chance to tie or take the lead. However, the guests went 0-for-3 in the final 13 seconds with all three shots coming in the paint. After back-to-back layups missed the mark, the ball was knocked out of bounds with 1.1 seconds remaining. Following a timeout, Queens got another look in the paint that rattled out to give LR the victory. 
• Simmons finished with a career-high 30 points, topping his previous high of 29 set against Young Harris earlier this season. The redshirt junior went 8-for-11 from the field and 10-for-12 from the free throw line.
• McClain tied a career-high with 17 points and knocked down four three-pointers on five attempts. McClain buried three straight triples in the first half to help even the score at 27. 
• R.J. Gunn finished with 21 points and added seven boards and five assists to go with a block.
• The Royals balanced attack saw four players score in double figures and the duo of Kenny Dye and Jamari Smith each had 18 points. Daniel Carr finished with 16 points and five rebounds and Junathean Cunningham came off the bench to score 11 and grabbed seven boards. 
• The Royals were held to 36.4 percent shooting in the second half, compared to 54.8 in the first 20 minutes. 
• LR buried eight first half 3-pointers but converted on just 3-of-15 in the second half. 

Beyond the Box Score:

• Over the past two seasons, Lenoir-Rhyne has beaten Queens three times with the Royals being nationally ranked in all three matchups. 
• Today marks LR's first home win over Queens since an 81-77 victory over the Royals on Nov. 20, 2013. Queens had won the last five inside Shuford Gym. 
• In the NCAA Division II National Spotlight game against No. 25 Catawba last week, the Bears came away with a 91-85 victory and now have earned four wins over nationally ranked teams over the past two years. 
• 80 is the magic number for the Bears. LR is a perfect 10-0 when they hit the 80-point mark and just 1-6 when they fail to reach 80.
• The only loss since the calendar flipped to 2020 was a 1-point defeat against Newberry.
• This is the second 30-point performance for the Bears on the season. Gunn had a 36-point effort against Clayton St. on Nov. 20. 

Up Next:  The Bears stay at home on Wednesday night with a matchup against Tusculum at 7:30 p.m.