OPENING TIP
Score: Queens 75 | Bellarmine 74
Records: Queens (12-4 overall, 2-1 ASUN) | Bellarmine (6-10 overall, 1-2 ASUN)
Location: Freedom Hall (Louisville, Ky.)
 
The Short Story: The Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team held off a late Bellarmine comeback as the Royals picked up their second league victory to open the new year.

BY THE NUMBERS
-Sophomore AJ McKee continued his dominant season matching his season-high 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting. The Charlotte native has scored 20 points in consecutive games.
-Kenny Dye packed the stat sheet dropping 14 points, grabbing six rebounds, and dishing out five assists. Dye has reached double figures in seven straight games as he is averaging 18.0 points during that span.
-Quan McCluney matched his season-best with 13 points going 55-percent from the field.
-Gavin Rains cleaned the glass for the Royals hauling in a game-high 14 rebounds. The junior has pulled down double digit rebounds in eight games this season.
-The Royals shot 47-percent from the field and 38-percent from behind the arc. Bellarmine managed to shoot 53-percent from the field, including a 58-percent clip in the second half.
-Queens won the rebounding total 37-27 as they improved to 11-1 this season when winning the battle on the glass.
-The top rebounding Royals brought down 15 offensive boards which they converted into 18 second chance points.

NOTABLE MOMENTS
-Trailing 22-21 in the first half, the Royals used a 19-2 run going 8-for-11 from the field to grab a 37-24 lead.
-Bellarmine used a 15-6 run in the second half to grab their first lead of the game at 66-65.
-With five seconds left, AJ McKee missed a free throw which the Knights rebounded and pushed up the floor. Queens had a foul to give and wisely used it and forced Bellarmine to inbound with 0.6 seconds left. The Knights earned a good look from behind the arc, but the shot missed right and the Royals escaped.

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
-AJ McKee remains the only player across the ASUN to reach double figures in every game this season.
-Queens improved to 11-0 on the year when shooting 41-percent or higher from the field.
-The 58-percent second half shooting mark from the Knights is the best shooting performance in a single half by a Royals opponent this season.

NEXT UP
The Royals will return to Charlotte for a three-game homestand beginning on Saturday, Jan. 7^th when Queens hosts Kennesaw State inside Curry Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00PM EST and the game will be broadcasted on ESPN Plus. Fans can secure their tickets in advance by visiting the Queens Athletics website.
 
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.