CHARLOTTE, N.C. – 2021 kicked off with some new-year drama inside Curry Arena at the Levine Center. The Queens University of Charlotte women's basketball team (0-4, 0-4 SAC) was relentless in pursuit of a comeback win over the Wingate Bulldogs. Senior Kristian Eanes went wire-to-wire for the Royals, notching a team-high 22 points in 40 minutes of action. Freshman guard Kristy Hamze followed with 16 points. 

The bench for the Royals stepped up when it counted, outscoring the Wingate reserves, 21-13, including eight points from guard Caitlyn Moore, seven from freshman forward Alisa Davenport and six from guard Tia McMillian. Moore added five rebounds and four assists, while Davenport chipped in two rebounds, one block and a steal in her Queens debut. Eanes now ranks third all-time in program history with 2,287 minutes in 80 games played. 

Wingate (1-3, 1-2 SAC) came out firing with a 6-0 run. Eanes notched eight first quarter points (3-for-6 shooting), including a highlight-reel defensive effort, assisting Moore on a steal and receiving the deep lob for the easy lay-in. The senior guard took matters into her own hands to instill the Royals' momentum for the rest of the contest. Davenport knocked down a three late in the first to maintain the lead. The freshman from Rolesville, N.C. logged roughly 22 minutes and impressed on both ends of the floor.

Hanging on to a 22-17 lead, the Royals were eventually going to feel the pressure from Wingate's leading scorer Haleigh Hatfield. The 6-foot forward connected on back-to-back threes to open the quarter. She led all players with 27 points and nine rebounds. 

Eanes pushed the tempo to keep the Royals' energy at a premium. Foul trouble haunted Queens in the first half, with starting guard Kalaya Hall (seven points) drawing two early fouls, allowing Moore (32 minutes) to see significant minutes in the first half. Active on the board and moving the ball around on offense, Christina Deng (four points) committed three fouls in 16 minutes through the second, as well. McMillian ended a nearly one and a half minute scoring drought for Queens, knocking down a corner three to stay within 2 at 38-36. Wingate's Hannah Clark (13 points) responded with a three of her own, followed by an easy lay-up to give the Bulldogs a 43-36 lead at the half.
 
Wingate opened the third quarter with a 7-0 run before Hamze knocked down a pair at the foul line. Moore followed up with three-pointer that was part of an 8-0 Queens run to answer the Bulldogs' efforts. Hatfield nailed a wide-open three from the top of the key at the buzzer to keep Wingate up by eight going into the fourth. 
 
Moore continuing her relentless efforts on both ends, finding open shots and swarming the ball on defense. Hamze (six steals) caught fire in the final period, netting 10 points with two threes and shooting 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. Down 73-63 with just over three minutes left in regulation, Eanes kicked into another gear, hoping to take the Royals over the hump for the win. She sparked another 8-0 run, with help from fellow freshman Amari Davis (four points). Hamze got a couple clean looks from long-range with under 30 seconds to go, but they just didn't find the net. The Bulldogs went 7-for-8 from the line to secure the victory. 
 
UP NEXT
No rest for the weary for the Royals, as they'll head to Greenville, S.C. to faceoff with the Division I Furman Paladins (2-5, 0-0 SoCon) tomorrow at 2 p.m. inside Timmons Arena.