12-0 Queens keeps winning streak alive

Queens’ undefeated season is up to a dozen wins.

The Royals, ranked eighth in Division II, rolled through Catawba 94-79 in a South Atlantic Conference victory Wednesday at Curry Arena. From the opening tap, Queens (12-0, 5-0) was dominant, especially on the offensive end where the Royals connected on 53.3 percent (32-of-60) of their shots while containing the Indians (6-6, 4-2) to 26-of-73 (35.6 percent).

“I was worried a little bit going in because we’d had such a long break, but they were really focused,” Queens coach Bart Lundy said. “Guys made shots and our senior leadership is incredible.”

The Royals were paced by their inside-out tandem of guard Rob Lewis and center Sean Morgan, who combined for 36 points, and forward Daniel Camps, who added a double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Lewis hit 6-of-11 shots, including 4-of-6 beyond the arc and handed out four assists while Morgan connected on 6-of-7 shots in the paint and Camps nailed 7-of-7.

Queens led by as many as 41 points and all 17 Royals played, with all but three scoring. Four Catawba players hit double digits with Jerrin Morrison accounting for 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting, followed by Jameel Taylor with 12, Jordan Barber with 11 and Rakeen Brown’s 10.

Three who mattered

Rob Lewis: Queens guard scored 14 of his game-high 20 points in the first half.

Sean Morgan: Queens center scored 12 of his 16 points in the first half.

Jerrin Morrison: The East Mecklenburg High grad scored 10 of his 17 points for Catawba in the second half.

Observations

▪ Queens connected on 60.6 percent of its shots (20-of-33) in the first half to lead 54-27 at intermission.

▪ The Royals were deadly from beyond the arc in the first half, nailing 8-of-12 (66.7 percent).

▪ Catawba struggled from the floor, hitting only 29.4 percent (10-of-34) of its attempts in the first half and 35.6 for the game.

▪ Queens outscored Catawba 30-6 in the paint in the first half.

▪ Queens and Catawba were nearly even in first-half turnovers with 12 and 13 respectively.

Worth mentioning

▪ Queens is ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division II Southeast Region.

They said it

“For stretches, that’s the best defense we’ve played all year.” – Lundy on Queens’ defense.

“I’m surrounded by a bunch of shooters, so it really goes hand in hand.” – Queens center Sean Morgan on getting open for shots in the lane.

“Every game coming out knowing we can be beaten, so we come with a focus and play selfless as a team.” – Queens guard Rob Lewis.

This story was originally published January 7, 2016 at 6:41 AM with the headline "12-0 Queens keeps winning streak alive."