HARTSVILLE, S.C. – It was a knockdown, drag out fight between Coker and Queens in Conference Carolinas men's basketball action Tuesday (Feb. 26) night. In the end, the Royals were left standing with a 55-50 win over Coker.

It was a very physical, intense game from start to finish. Queens took the first big lead of the game, 19-12, with 9:26 left in the first half. Coker quickly trimmed the lead to just one with back-to-back 3-pointers by Julian Nelson and Errick Bethel. The Cobras then took a one-point advantage, 20-19, with five and a half minutes remaining when Bethel knocked down a jump shot in the paint. The Royals proceeded to post an 8-3 run down the stretch, taking a 27-23 lead into halftime.

In the second half Queens kept Coker at bay for nearly 15 minutes, but an 11-3 run by the Cobras in the final minutes tied the game at 48 with 1:15 remaining. The Royals had one last run left in them, scoring seven points in the last minute to win 55-50.

The Cobras out rebounded the Royals 34-32 and had 22 points come from their bench, compared to just 13 for Queens. 

Bethel was Coker's top scorer with 11 points. Teon Beckett added nine points and Bryce Arnott scored eight.

The Cobras will return to the hardwood on Friday for their final regular season game of the season. Coker will host Belmont Abbey in a Conference Carolinas game starting at 7:30 p.m.

McDonald's Player of the Game- Errick Bethel