Cullowhee, N.C. – Taj Hunter dropped a double-double and Grace Pack led a quartet of Catamounts in double-figures with 14 points on Sunday afternoon, but Western Carolina was unable to complete the fourth quarter comeback, falling to the Queens Royals 71-64 in nonconference play on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center.
 
WCU rallied from a double-digit deficit in the final frame to close to within a single shot of Queens, but were unable to complete the comeback as the Royals escaped with the road victory.
 
Hunter recorded her first career double-double with 13 points and a career-high 13 rebounds on Sunday. The Atlanta, Ga., product had a productive seven-board, five-point first quarter. Pack led the Catamounts with 14 points to go along with seven rebounds, while Ary Dizon and Kehinde Obasuyi recorded 13 and 12 points, respectively.

Queens (4-4) was led by Brenae Jones-Grant with a 27-point, 11-rebound double-double effort. Dayuna Colvin was the only other Royal to record double-figure points, going for 15, including perfect 11-of-11 performance from the free-throw line.  

The Catamounts (2-9) are on a nine-game slide and have an opportunity to pump the brakes as they take on the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs on Dec. 13. The Royals (4-4) wrapped up a six-game road stretch with the win, going 2-4 in that span.

How it Happened:  
Sunday's first quarter saw seven lead changes as the two teams kept pace with one another outside of a quick four-point start for Queens. WCU closed the opening 10 minutes on a 7-4 run, with Betsey Burnett connecting on a 3-pointer late in the frame to put the Catamounts ahead 16-14.

Taj Hunter put the Catamounts ahead by four in the opening seconds of the second quarter, but the Royals chipped away at the deficit, reclaiming the lead off a Brenae Jones-Grant three-ball with 4:05 to go. The two squads traded the lead five times down the stretch of the half, with WCU hanging on for a 30-29 advantage following a late, buzzer-beating layup by Ary Dizon.

WCU held a three-point lead three times in the third quarter, but was unable to leverage the advantage any further. An and-one opportunity for Jones-Grant sparked a 7-0 spurt for the Royals, who took a four-point lead late in the quarter. A 3-pointer from Kehinde Obasuyi and a layup from Justice Zimmerman briefly put the Catamounts ahead by one, but a three at the third-quarter buzzer from Jones-Grant gave the Royals a 48-46 lead headed to the final frame.

Queens opened the fourth quarter on a 10-2 run, leaping out to a 10-point, 58-48 lead with 6:30 to play. The Catamounts cut away at the deficit, though, with Betsey Burnett pulling WCU within two points with 1:38 in the game. However, it was close as the Catamounts would get despite three cracks at the equalizing score.
 
Four free throws by Colvin, two by Alyssa Lewis, and a run-sparking charity toss by Jones-Grant allowed the Royals to finish the game on a 7-2 run to carry the visitors to the 71-64 win.

Inside the Numbers:
WCU dominated the glass against Queens, picking up a season-high 52 rebounds to Queens' 32. The 52 total rebounds and 23 offensive boards are both the most for the Catamounts against an NCAA Division I team so far this season. Likewise, the 32 rebounds allowed to Queens marked the second-fewest this year.  

The Catamounts did commit 23 turnovers in the loss, with the Royals scoring 27 points off of those giveaways.  

Up Next for The Catamounts:
WCU hits the road for two straight games, as the Catamounts take on instate foe, the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs on Saturday, Dec. 13 for a 2 p.m. tip in Boiling Springs. The Catamounts then take on the Indiana Hoosiers on Dec. 21 in Bloomington, Ind., for a 1 p.m. tip before returning home to close the year on Tuesday, Dec. 30 to host the Montreat Cavaliers at 2 p.m.