St. Andrews Presbyterian College received points from all 11 Knights that entered the game and shot 49.1-percent from the floor en route to an 81-76 Conference Carolinas men’s basketball victory over visiting Queens University of Charlotte on Wednesday night in Harris Court.

The Knights (6-7 Overall; 2-4 Conf.) continue to play well at home improving to 6-1 in Harris Court, while extending their home win streak to five consecutive games. The Royals (5-7; 2-3) dropped their second game in three days.

“The team plays with a lot of confidence at home,” said Richie Schueler, SAPC second year head coach. “That’s a tribute to the Laurinburg and St. Andrews community who have supported us. Our players would like to see more of the community come out to support us at home, so they’re working hard to give those fans a reason to come back.”

The St. Andrews bench outscored the Queens reserves, 26-12, with 11 Knights recorded points in the scorebook. “Our focus has been on team basketball,” added Richie Schueler. “I felt our players did a much better job of that tonight that we had in the last three games. When nobody cares who puts the ball in the hole, we’re a much better squad.”

Sophomore point guard Aaron Christian led the Knights with 18 points. Junior forward Marvin Jackson deposited 15; sophomore shooting guard Kurt Fenderbosch drilled 13; and junior center Zack Garst swished 10 points.

The two teams battled closely in the first half as both squads only mustered up five-point leads for their respective schools throughout the opening 20 minutes. The first half featured seven lead changes and two ties. St. Andrews held a narrow 35-32 advantage at halftime.

The Knights came out of the locker room on fire with a 7-0 run in the first 75 seconds to increase their lead to 10 (42-32). Christian started the outburst with a made three-pointer at the top of the key; Jackson followed with a steal and a breakaway dunk; and sophomore Antonio Moffitt capped the surge with another steal and fast break lay-up.

SAPC shot 54.2-percent in the second half compared to 31.8-percent by the Royals. Queens – ranked 13th nationally in three-pointers made per game – made 6-of-15 (40.0-percent) three-pointers in the first half but was held to just 4-of-14 (28.6-percent) in the second period. The Knights made 7-of-19 (36.8-percent) from beyond the arc including a trio by Fenderbosch.

The Royals kept fighting and pulled to within one possession a pair of times in the final minute but St. Andrews converted on seven of its last 10 free throws in the final 90 seconds to stay ahead including a pair of freebees by Jackson with 6.1 ticks remaining on the cloc Connor, who ranks second in the nation in blocks per game, put the exclamation point on the Knights victory with his fifth block as time expired.

Schueler added, “We’ve been working on putting two halves together. At halftime, it was a continued emphasis. Fortunately, the light bulb turned on tonight because we had a tremendous run to begin the second half.”



Christian handed out a game-high eight assists for the hosts while scoring 13 of his 18 points in the closing stanza.

St. Andrews next visits Anderson University on Saturday at 4 p.m. Queens hosts local conference rival Pfeiffer University on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Queens pulls away from St. Andrews

St. Andrews Presbyterian College freshman forward Essence Chism was one point shy of her first collegiate double-double but senior guard Ashley McGuirt scored a game-high 19 points to lead visiting Queens University of Charlotte in a 78-44 Conference Carolinas women’s basketball victory.

The Royals (5-6 Overall; 4-2 Conf.) remain perfect in 2010 with their fourth straight win while the Lady Knights (1-8; 0-6) dropped their fifth straight trip to the hardwood.

Chism had season-high marks of 13 rebounds and nine points to pace SAPC. Sophomore point guard Megan Lee scored a team-high 14 points for the Lady Knights.

Queens shot 46.7-percent (28-of-60) compared to just 28.8-percent (17-of-59) by St. Andrews. The Royals held a slim 43-40 rebounding edge while also protecting the ball better with nine less turnovers, 19-10.

The visitors hit three of their first four shots in the opening 90 seconds to take a quick 6-0 lead. The Knights kept the score close for the first 13 minutes with the Queens holding only a one-possession lead, 22-19, with 6:40 left in the first before going on a 19-7 run to take control. The Royals never trailed and held a 15-point advantage, 41-26, at halftime.

Queens pulled away after the intermission holding SAPC to just six made field goals in the final 20 minutes.