GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Kenny Dye scored a game-high 24 points including a pair of free throws with 0.8 seconds remaining in overtime as nationally-ranked Queens University of Charlotte held on for an 88-85 win at Tusculum University Wednesday night at Pioneer Arena in a South Atlantic Conference thriller.
The Royals (14-3, 10-3 SAC), ranked 22nd in the nation in the NABC Coaches Poll and 16th in the D2SIDA Media Poll, avenge last month's 81-74 loss to Tusculum (11-5, 11-3 SAC) while snapping the Pioneers' six-game winning streak. With the defeat, the Pioneers fall out of a tie for first place in the league standings and remain a half-game ahead of third place Queens.
The contest was played end-to-end as the lead exchanged hands 15 times with six ties, as the two teams combined for nine dunks (Queens 5, Tusculum 4).
Queens' Jamari Smith finished the game with 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Quan McCluney added 18 markers including four 3-pointers as the Royals recorded their fifth straight win in Greeneville.
Tusculum's Trenton Gibson led the hosts with 16 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and a three steals in his 42 minutes on the floor. Jalen Crowder tallied a season-best 15 points on his five triples, while Jacob Hobbs notched his first collegiate double-double with 12 points and a career-high 12 rebounds. TU also got nine points apiece from Inady Legiste and James West IV, while the trio of Justin Mitchell, KJ Crump and William Vedder accounted for eight points each.
The Pioneers finished the contest with 13 three-pointers, but the Royals out-rebounded TU 49-42 and worked their way to the charity stripe 35 times including 26 trips in the second half and the overtime period combined. Queens went 20-of-35 at the free throw stripe for 57.1 percent while Tusculum went 14-of-17 for 82.4 percent including a perfect 5-of-5 by Gibson.
The Pioneers jumped out of the gate on fire jumping out to a 12-2 lead in the first five minutes thanks to a pair of three-pointers by Crump.
With TU up 14-4 at the 13:54 mark of the period, Queens went on a 14-2 run over the next five minutes thanks to triples by McCluney and Josh Dilling and a rebound dunk by Smith as the Royals took their first lead of the night at 18-16.
The lead would go back and forth before the visitors scored seven straight including five in a row by Dye to take a 27-21 advantage with 5:31 remaining before halftime.
The Royals pushed the lead out to as many as nine (38-29) before West buried a long-range triple in the final seconds as Queens took a 38-32 lead into the locker room.
McCluney made back-to-back three-pointers to open the second half as the Royals took their first double-digit lead of the game at 44-34. The Pioneers trimmed the deficit in half when Mitchell stole the ball and was taken down on an intentional foul. He would make both free throws and TU would have the ball. The Pioneers made the most of the possession on Crowder three-pointer to cut the Queens lead to 44-39.
But the Royals answered with a 5-0 spurt as TU missed four straight shots, while Queens got a bucket from McCluney and three points by Smith including his second dunk of the game to lead 49-39 with 16 minutes left in regulation.
Over the next 3:11, Tusculum chipped away at the deficit with a 14-3 highlighted by a three-pointer and a fast-break layup by Hobbs and long two-point jumper by West as the Pioneers took its first lead of the second half at 53-52 with 12:49 on the clock.
The lead exchanged hands two more times including a West three-pointer at the 9:50 mark as Tusculum led 59-57.
Nine straight points by the Royals including three-pointers from Dye and Smith capped off by a Gain Rains offensive rebound and layup put the visitors in the lead at 67-60 with 6:55 on the scoreboard.
The lead grew to 70-62 following a free throw by Smith with 5:14 to go. Mitchell came through with back-to-back slam dunks on consecutive possessions to make it a 70-66 game with 4:09 left.
After a Queens timeout, Dye was fouled as he went to back to the foul line where he made one of two for a 71-66 lead with under four minutes remaining in regulation.
Legiste missed a jumper but came up with his own rebound and was fouled. He would make his two free throws as the Pioneers trailed 71-68 with 3:32 to go.
Dye connected on an acrobatic shot in the paint and Jay'Den Turner was fouled on a rebound and he would make the front end of the bonus as the Royals led 74-68 with 2:42 on the scoreboard.
The Pioneers made a final push scoring six straight thanks to a pair of Queens turnovers as Crowder buried a three-pointer, while Gibson was fouled attempting one of his own with 1:10 remaining. He would make a three free throws to knot the score at 74-74.
Smith missed a contested jumper, but BJ McLaurin came down with the offensive board and was fouled. He missed the first but made the second with 50.1 seconds left for a one-point lead.
The Pioneers worked the ball to Legiste who was fouled in the lane sending the sophomore to the foul line. After Queens timeout, he would miss the first but make the second to tie the game at 75-75 with 34.1 seconds left in regulation.
The Royals worked the clock down and with five seconds left, Dye put up a shot but was blocked by Hobbs and gathered in by Mitchell with 2.2 seconds remaining. Hobbs would throw a long court pass that didn't touch anyone and went out of bounds for a turnover, giving the ball back to the Royals underneath their own basket with 2.2 seconds still left on the clock. But on the in-bounds pass Mitchell came up with his third steal of the night and send the game into overtime.
Tusculum won the toss and came up empty on its first two possessions, while the Royals missed two free throws on their first trip into the front court.
Gibson scored the first points of the extra period, but Dye answered with a bucket of his own to tie the score at 77-77. TU would miss on its next shot and Smith would be fouled again in the paint, sending him to the stripe where he went 1-of-2 as Queens led 78-77 with 3:47 left in overtime.
Crowder canned a triple from the left wing as Tusculum led 80-78 with 3:23 to go. Dye missed his driving layup, but Turner came up with a huge rebound and put-back to tie the game at 80-80 with under three minutes remaining in overtime.
Gibson attempted a long three-point try from the top of the key, but Hobbs came up with a tap-out rebound to extend the possession. Vedder would can a long two-pointer with 2:07 remaining and an 82-80 Tusculum lead.
McCluney would made the shot of the night as he buried a three-pointer from the left wing and a 83-82 lead at the 1:48 mark of the extra frame.
Gibson's three-pointer was no good but Mitchell hauled in the rebound, but with 1:07 left, Vedder was charged with an offensive foul, turning the ball over to the Royals.
Tusculum forced a turnover on the ensuing possession as Dye was whistled for traveling with 52.2 seconds to go. Down by one, the Pioneers worked the ball around as Crowder attempted a running one-hand jumper in the paint which was no good, but Mitchell grabbed the rebound with 29 seconds left. Crowder would try another three-pointer but it was off the mark and went out of bounds to the Royals with 19.1 seconds remaining.
Turner would make his two free throws to make it an 85-82 lead for Queens. After a Tusculum timeout with 14.7 seconds to go, Gibson attempted a deep triple but it rattled off the rim and hauled in by McCluney and was fouled. He missed the first free throw but made the second to make it a two-possession game at 86-82 with 5.8 seconds left.
The Pioneers got the ball to Hobbs in the corner where he connected on his second three-pointer of the night with 0.8 seconds left to make it a one-point game at 86-85 and Dye was immediately fouled. He made both free throws for an 88-85 lead. Gibson's desperation heave from 55-feet away was off the mark as the Royals held on for the win.
Queens finished the game shooting 30-of-62 from the field (48.4%), while limiting the Pioneers to shoot 37.2 percent including 4-of-12 in the overtime period.
The Pioneers forced 17 turnovers on 12 steals, while also posting five blocked shots as a team.
Tusculum continues its three-game home-stand next Wednesday when they host Anderson University for a 7:30 p.m. contest at Pioneer Arena.
