Queens was hot, then Cal Baptist ‘carved us up.’ Here’s how Royals survived in NCAAs.

Queens University shot a blistering 60 percent from the field in its NCAA Division II Elite Eight game against California Baptist at the Sanford Pentagon.

They needed every basket in a 100-94 victory Tuesday to advance to Thursday’s Final Four.

The Royals (32-3) had a seven-point lead at halftime, but Cal Baptist shot an incredible 78 percent from the field in the second half. The Lancers cut the lead to one point on two different occasions, but could never get over the hump.

Queens looked to have the game in hand, up six points with 1 minute, 18 seconds to play. But after CBU scored to cut it to four, Queen’s Daniel Carr was picked at midcourt by CBU’s Bul Kuol, who got it to Ty Rowell for a bucket, and the Lancers were within two with under a minute to play.

Queens gives up just 68 points per game, and CBU’s 94 was the second-most scored against the Royals this season.

“We are elite defensively. Elite, and they carved us up,” Queens coach Bart Lundy said. “My hats off to them.”

Three who mattered

Todd Withers: The Royals’ leading scorer was at it again, leading Queens with 26 points and seven rebounds. He entered the game averaging 13.6 points per game. He also added five assists.

Ty Rowell: The CBU freshman scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half and scored a bucket with one minute to play to cut the Royals’ lead to two.

Kalidou Diouf: CBU’s leading scorer didn’t have a basket in the first half. He went 6-of-7 in the second half and finished with 19 points.

Observations

▪  The Royals went 6-of-6 from the free-throw line in the final two minutes when CBU was making a final push.

▪  The Royals led by as many as seven points on four different occasions in the first half, but could never increase the lead.

▪  The Lancers cut it to one point with 11 minutes to play, but Queens countered with seven straight points to take its biggest lead of the game at 73-65.

Worth mentioning

▪  CBU hit five of its first six baskets to open the second half to cut it to 50-49, but could never grab the lead.

▪  Leading 94-92 with a minute to play, Queen’s Lewis Diankulu missed a dunk, but was bailed out on a late whistle. He hit two free throws to increase the lead back to four.

▪  Queens will play Northern State, which beat East Stroudsburg 79-71 in Tuesday's other semifinal. The semifinal will be like a home game for the Wolves, whose Aberdeen campus is three hours north of Sioux Falls. Tipoff is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. Thursday.

This story was originally published March 20, 2018 at 9:44 PM with the headline "Queens was hot, then Cal Baptist ‘carved us up.’ Here’s how Royals survived in NCAAs.."