CHARLOTTE, N.C. - After trailing by as many as 16 points midway through the first half, the Brevard College men's basketball team rallied to take the lead over Queens with 10 minutes to play in the contest before falling 81-64 to the Royals in South Atlantic Conference play.
The Royals (3-5, 3-2 SAC) were able to neutralize reigning conference player of the week Darius Moose, limiting the senior standout to 15 points, only five of which came in the second half. Trevon Shaw joined Moose in double figures with 13 points. Queens, however, countered with five players that topped 10 points each, including a game-high 19 points from guard Rob Lewis.
Lewis also accounted for 10 of Queens' 17 assists and finished two rebounds shy of a triple-double. His eight boards contributed greatly to Queens' 44-23 edge in rebounding, which included a 14-rebound advantage over the final 20 minutes.
Queens stayed out of foul trouble, giving Brevard (1-7, 1-4 SAC) just 10 opportunities at the line. By contrast, the Royals knocked down 18 of their 21 free throw attempts.
The Tornados fought valiantly to remain in the contest. Brevard's prospects looked bleak early, as Queens opened up a commanding 31-15 lead with 5:29 to play in the first half on the strength of an 18-3 run. A Moose layup stopped the bleeding and allowed Brevard to get back into the game, as a 16-6 spurt made the score 37-31 at the half.
Brevard picked up right where it had left off as the second half commenced. Stevie Williams cut the lead to four points with a layup. Jaylon Debardlabon then swatted away one of his three blocked shots on a Trey Ervin three-point attempt and knocked down a three-pointer of his own moments later, trimming the lead to a single point on one of Stevie Williams' five assists.
The Royals pushed the lead to as many as eight points over the next several possessions, but a jumper by Phil Wallace and consecutive layups by Williams gave Brevard its first lead since the 19:51 mark of the first half with just over 10 minutes left to play.
Queens regained the lead moments later and never looked back. The winded Tornados expended all of their energy in the attempted comeback, allowing Queens to open up another large lead. The advantage dwindled to as few as five points with six minutes remaining, but a 14-3 run over the game's final 4:20 gave Queens a 17-point victory.
Both teams took care of the basketball, with Brevard and Queens committing just 12 and 15 turnovers, respectively, despite the Tornados setting a season high with 10 steals. Queens held a 36-32 advantage in points in the paint. The teams were also virtually even in points off turnovers, second chance points, fast break points, and bench points.
Brevard will next travel to Banner Elk, North Carolina on Monday for a nonconference tilt with Lees-McRae. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
Featured image courtesy of Tommy Moss.
