CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Carson-Newman Lady Eagles (9-5, 6-2 South Atlantic Conference) women's basketball team fell to the Queens Royals (5-7, 4-4 South Atlantic Conference) by a score of 71-62 at the Levine Center on Saturday afternoon.

The Royals used a 13-2 run midway through the second half to power away from the Lady Eagles, as Carson-Newman falls for the second straight Saturday on the road to an opponent in North Carolina.

"Really it comes down to finishing at the rim," said Carson-Newman head coach Mike Mincey. "I thought we pretty much got manhandled under the basket. We had a lot of offensive rebounds but just didn't make any use of them. Really the only thing that kept us in the game were our 11 3-pointers and our free throws."

Carson-Newman senior Chante' Markus (Hummelstown, Pa.) scored a career-high 17 points as she made four 3-pointers helping her lead the Lady Eagles in scoring. She was joined in double-figures by sophomore Tatum Burstrom (Maryville, Tenn.), who made five 3-pointers in the nine-point loss.

After Queens grabbed the initial lead in the first minute, Carson-Newman would answer back and led for the rest of the first half. The first half was low-scoring for both teams, with Carson-Newman shooting 32 percent from the field and Queens slightly better by shooting 33 percent.

 The Lady Eagles led 36-35 with 16:18 left to play when the Royals would start their game-changing run. Baskets by Lacey Singletary and Shonice Pettaway fueled a 13-2 run that gave Queens a 48-38 lead with 11:42 left to play.

Carson-Newman would chip away at the Queens advantage thanks in large part to 3-pointers by Markus and Burstrom. The Lady Eagles would never get the lead to under seven points, as Queens held on to win by nine points.

Freshman Kaitlyn Cupples (Clinton, Tenn.) set a career and Carson-Newman team-high with her 13 rebounds, and the 11 made 3-pointers ties a season-high from Carson-Newman this year.

Queens was led in scoring by Pettaway with her 16 points, and she was joined in double fiures by Micha Cox and Nikia Squire with 15 points to go along with the 14 from Singletary.

Carson-Newman will be at home for the next two games, beginning with next Wednesday's matchup with Brevard at Holt Fieldhouse at 6 p.m.

Wednesday's game will be carried on the Eagle Sports Network's flagship station WPFT-FM 106.3 FM, with coverage beginning at 5:45 p.m. with "The Countdown to Tipoff," and live video is also available on www.cneagles.com.