OPENING TIP
Score: Queens 83 | Marshall 82
Records: Queens (1-0) | Marshall (0-1)
Location: Curry Arena (Charlotte, N.C.)
 
The Short Story: In front of a rocking 1,608 fans on the opening night of college basketball, senior Kenny Dye shook Curry Arena with a go-ahead layup with nine seconds left. The Thundering Herd would get two contested opportunities under the basket, but couldn't sink the game-winner as the Royals pulled off the historic victory in their first Division 1 game.

BY THE NUMBERS
-Senior Kenny Dye led the Royals with a double-double pouring in 24 points and dishing out 10 assists. The Jacksonville, N.C. native added seven rebounds to his evening total.
-Junior Gavin Rains posted his 14^th career double-double scoring 14 points and pulling down a game-high 13 rebounds. Rains grabbed six offensive rebounds which are the most since he pulled down nine on Dec. 20, 2021.
-Jay'Den Turner continued to impress as a Royal scoring 10 points and grabbing 10 rebounds for his sixth career double-double.
-Queens turned in a higher field-goal percentage sinking 47-percent from the field and 42-percent from behind the arc.
-The Royals bench outscored the Thundering Herd 19-18 as BJ McLaurin chipped in nine, Kalib Mathews added seven, and Chris Ashby sunk a three pointer.

NOTABLE MOMENTS
-The Royals treated the electric crowd with a quick 5-0 lead behind a pair of field-goals and a free throw from Gavin Rains and Kenny Dye.
-Trailing 36-32 with three minutes and 40 seconds left in the opening half, the Royals went on a 7-0 run to close out the half with the lead 41-36.
-All tied 57-57, Marshall put together a 12-1 run which opened their lead to the largest of the game at 11. The Royals managed to respond with an 8-3 run of their own to close the deficit to 72-69.
-Queens closed out the game in clean fashion shooting 4-for-4 from the field while holding the visiting Herd to 1-for-8 in the final three minutes.
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
-Three Royals turned in double-double performances, including Kenny Dye, Gavin Rains, and Jay'Den Turner.
-The 17 turnovers by the Royals were the most since Feb. 16 last season against Limestone.
-The intense opener saw 14 lead changes and six ties before the final horn.
-The season opening win marks the second straight year that the Royals have started the season victorious. Queens improved to 220-63 inside Curry Arena.

NEXT UP
Queens will return to the court on Thursday, Nov. 10^th when they welcome Clinton College to Curry Arena. The game will tip off at 12:00PM and streamed live on the Queens Sports Network.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Be sure to follow Queens Men's Basketball on Twitter, Instagram, and Tik Tok for news and updates throughout the season. Fans are also encouraged to follow Queens Athletics on social media to stay up to date on all the Royals sports in action.