Charlotte, N.C.----The ninth-ranked Queens University Royals closed the game on a 15-5 run Saturday afternoon, pulling away from visiting Wingate University for an 80-63 victory in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball on the final day of the regular season. Queens improves to 25-3 overall and 21-3 in the SAC, while the Bulldogs fall to 21-7 overall and 17-7 in league play. The 'Dogs will be the number four seed in the SAC Tournament, hosting a quarterfinal contest Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

KEY STATS

- Queens shot 46 percent from the field; Wingate shot 37 percent
- The Royals hit seven-of-25 threes; the 'Dogs went eight-for-25 from deep
- Queens out-rebounded Wingate 49-36, piling up 27 second-chance points compared to 10 from WU
- The Royals went 11-for-19 at the free throw line; the Bulldogs were nine-for-19
- Queens scored 20 points off 13 Wingate turnovers

KEY BULLDOGS

- Donell Nixon had 17 points and five assists, going six-for-11 from the field
- Destin Clark added 10 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals
- Sean Elmore also had 10 points on the day
- Andreas Wilson contributed 10 points and four rebounds

FIRST HALF

- A Jayden Turner layup five minutes in gave the Royals a 13-2 lead
- Rashaard Pringle's layup cut the lead to seven at the 13:30 mark
- A Jamari Smith bucket with 9:20 remaining put Queens back on top by 11
- Back-to-back Clark buckets cut the lead to six with 6:57 to go
- Kenny Dye answered with a triple to push the lead back to nine
- Wingate scored the next 10 to take the lead
- A three and a jumper from Wilson started it, while Jarren Cottingham's layup cut it to two
- Nixon's jumper at the 4:23 mark capped the flurry, giving WU a 25-24 lead
- Cottingham buried a three with 2:31 remaining to put the 'Dogs on top by four
- QU scored the next eight, taking a 34-30 lead on a Quan McCluney triple with 37 seconds left
- Nixon knocked down a three in the final seconds to make it a one-point game at halftime

SECOND HALF

- AJ McKee's layup six minutes in put the Royals on top by eight
- Elmore answered with a triple to pull Wingate back within five
- Nixon's triple with 11:38 to go made it a three-point game
- Gavin Rains capped a 6-0 run with a layup at the midway point to give QU a 54-45 lead
- Smith's free throws put the Royals on top by 12 a minute later
- A Nixon jumper and two Wilson free throws cut the lead back to eight
- Two more Smith free throws with 5:27 to go made it 65-54
- Wilson's triple cut the deficit to eight
- A 6-0 run capped by McKee's layup at the 2:47 mark put the Royals on top by 15
- Wingate got no closer than 13 the rest of the way

UP NEXT

- Wingate is back in action Wednesday night, hosting a SAC Tourney quarterfinal game at 7:30 p.m.
- The fourth-seeded Bulldogs host fifth-seeded Carson-Newman in Cuddy Arena
- The winner advances to the SAC semifinals Saturday in Greenville, S.C.
- The SAC championship game is Sunday in Greenville