BREVARD, N.C. - Four Brevard players scored in double figures and the team shot an even 50.0 percent from the field, but No. 13 Queens prevailed 102-87 on Saturday afternoon behind a 24-point effort from Rob Lewis and 22 points from Daniel Camps.
Brevard's (3-18, 2-13 SAC) Stevie Williams had a career day, nearly doubling his previous career high with 22 points and posting a personal-best nine rebounds to lead the team in both categories. Miles Leathers added 20 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, while Demarcus Threatt (16) and Alex Moe (11) gave Brevard four double-digit scorers on the afternoon.
Queens (20-2, 14-2 SAC), which came into the contest ranked in the top five nationally in field goal percentage, shot 56.1 percent (37-for-66) from the field. The Royals and Tornados each scored 50 points in the second half, but Queens earned the 15-point win on the strength of a 20-for-33 shooting performance in the first stanza that put the Royals ahead 52-37 at the intermission.
The visitors led the contest wire-to-wire, but Brevard kept one of the country's best teams from opening an insurmountable advantage a number of times. Queens continually put pressure on the Tornados' offense to keep up with its own torrid pace, finally creating separation with a 15-5 run over nearly four minutes ending at the 5:24 mark of the first half on a Tate Small shot on the paint.
The Tornados did not go down without a fight, however. Brevard trailed by 15 at the start of the second half and was heavily pressured by the Royals on the inbound play. The Tornados broke through the pressure and found Leathers in the left corner, whose three-point attempt tickled the twine.
The bucket sparked a 13-2 Tornados' run that saw Brevard shoot 5-for-6 from the field, with the only miss leading to an offensive rebound and tip-in from D.J. Bostick. Williams closed the run with a layup in transition to trim the advantage to 54-50 with 17:46 to play.
Queens countered by stretching its lead back to 13 points, but Brevard made one final impressive run at the 13th-ranked Royals. Brevard made all four of its field goal attempts during 10-1 spurt over two minutes of game action, cutting the Queens lead to 78-73 with nine minutes to play. But just as quickly as the Tornados trimmed the gap, Queens slammed the door, stretching its lead to as many as 19 points late in the contest.
Lewis 24 points for Queens came on nine made field goals in 13 attempts, including a 6-of-8 ledger from beyond the arc. Todd Withers pitched in a game-high 11 rebounds, while Camps recording the game's lone double-double with 10 boards.
Brevard continued a recent string of hot shooting performances, making at least half of its shots for the fourth time in its last six games. The shooting totals were bolstered by a 56.7-percent mark in the second half, including making 12 of 19 two-point attempts after halftime.
The Tornados will begin their third consecutive week with three games on the schedule Monday night when Brevard travels to Lenoir-Rhyne. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m.
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Featured image courtesy of Neil Hayes. Click here to view more photos by Neil.
