Nikia Squire scored 15 of her game-high 20 points in the second half as Queens University held on for a 77-75 win over Tusculum College in a South Atlantic Conference Women's basketball game at Curry Arena Saturday evening.

Five players scored in double figures for the Royals (2-5, 1-3 SAC), who earned their first win in their new home court and claimed their first victory as a member of the SAC. Tia Hudgins posted 14 points and 10 rebounds and Micha Cox added 10 points and eight assists for Queens in the win.

The Pioneers (0-7, 0-4 SAC) also put five players in double figures, including a career-high 18 points from Blakeley Burleson and 10 points and 10 rebounds from Kristen McMillion. Tusculum shot a season-high 49.1 percent (28-for-57) from the field, including 52.9 percent in the second half, but allowed Queens to pull 23 offensive rebounds as a team.

Shynese Whitener overcame first-half foul trouble to finish with 10 points and seven assists for the Pioneers, while Jessica Hairston had 10 points and four rebounds off the bench and Brianna Mitchell added 10 points. Nequoiah Anderson just missed joining the quintet in double figures as she had nine points to go along with four rebounds.

Also hitting double figures for Queens were Shonice Pettaway with 11 points to go with seven rebounds, and Abby Pettit who had 10 points and six boards. As a team, the Royals finished with a 44-37 advantage on the boards over the Pioneers but connected on just 12 of their 25 free-throw attempts.

The second half turned into a duel between Squire and Burleson, who each scored their team's final five points as the Pioneers cut an 11-point deficit down to one but could not regain the lead in the closing seconds. Burleson scored 13 points in the second half, including 3-for-4 from three-point range, while Whitener had 10 points and six assists in the second half after playing less than two minutes in the first half due to early foul trouble.

Tusculum trailed 55-44 following a three-pointer from Cox with 11:24 left, but a three-pointer from Elise Coberly brought the Pioneers within 60-56 with 7:21 to go. A steal and layup by Whitener helped Tusculum cut the deficit to 68-65 with 4:36 remaining, and a layup by Nequoiah Anderson pulled the Pioneers within two at 72-70 with 2:38 on the clock.

Squire hit two free throws with 1:54 left to give Queens a 74-70 lead, and after an exchange of missed shots and turnovers the Pioneers came back to within two at 74-72 as Burleson scored on a layup. Squire connected on a bucket with 31 seconds to go to give the Royals a two-possession lead, but Burleson drilled her fourth three-pointer of the day with 15 seconds to play to leave Queens on top 76-75.

With 11 seconds left, Squire hit one of two free throws for a 77-75 Queens lead, and the Pioneers could not convert the tying shot attempt with under five seconds left as the Royals came away with the victory.

The teams swapped the lead eight times in the first half, with Queens going to the locker room with a 32-30 lead. Tusculum had its largest lead of the game at 10-6 on a three-pointer by Burleson with 14:52 left in the first half, but a 12-2 run by Queens was capped by three-pointers from Pettit and Cox that gave the Royals a 29-20 lead with under five minutes to play in the half.

Queens went cold the rest of the half, going 1-for-6 from the field and 1-for-4 from the line while turning the ball over four times. Meanwhile, the Pioneers were 6-for-8 from the line in the final 3 1/2 minutes of the half to help cut the margin to two at the break.

Mitchell led all players with eight points in the first half, with Hairston adding six points off the bench for the Pioneers. Hudgins led the way for the Royals with six points and six rebounds in the opening half, but Queens shot a miserable 4-for-12 at the line to help keep Tusculum within range.

The Pioneers will return to action next Saturday at 2 p.m. on the road against Catawba.