OPENING TIP
Score: Queens 74 | High Point 72
Records: Queens (1-2) | High Point (1-2)
Location: Curry Arena (Charlotte, N.C.)
 
The Short Story:  The Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team used a strong second-half performance in front of a rocking Curry Arena to storm past High Point 74-72 on Tuesday night.

BY THE NUMBERS
-Senior BJ McLaurin netted his 1,000^th career point with his first bucket in the first half. The Fayetteville native finished the evening with 18 points, four rebounds, and two assists.
-Charlotte native AJ McKee also eclipsed the 1,000-point scoring mark using a 21-point effort to do so. The junior went 6-for-16 from the field and 7-of-8 from the free throw line while also pulling down six rebounds to match his season-high.
-Freshman Bryce Cash and junior Deyton Albury combined to score 18 points while pulling down seven rebounds. Albury played a season-high 34 minutes of action in the victory.
-Junior sharpshooter Chris Ashby played a career-high 35 minutes and pulled down a career-best four rebounds, including two offensive boards.
-Freshman Kobe George provided significant production off the bench with a career-high six points and three assists.
-After shooting 46 percent from the field in the first half, the Royals perimeter defense clamped down and held the Panthers to a 22 percent mark from behind the arc. Additionally, Royals fans made a significant impact as the visitors went 6-for-12 from the charity stripe, including a 4-for-9 mark in the second half.
-The Royals ability to attack the rim in the second half earned them 16 free throw attempts. For the game, Queens went 15-for-21 from the free-throw line.

NOTABLE MOMENTS
-The intense first-half battle saw seven lead changes and four ties as the largest lead of the half was six by the Panthers.
-Queens used a late 9-0 run to grab their first lead of the second half at 69-66.
-Over the final four minutes of action, the Royals did not score from the field. Instead, Queens went 6-for-8 from the free throw and sealed the victory.
-All tied 72-72 With three seconds remaining in the second half, AJ McKee drew a foul resulting in a free throw opportunity. The veteran was poised and drained both to put the Royals up 73-72. Following a 30-second timeout from the Panthers, the inbound pass was delivered to midcourt, but the Panthers player stepped on the sideline as he made his way up the court giving the Royals the ball with two seconds left. AJ McKee went back to the free-throw line and sunk the first one before missing the second. A full-court attempt from the Panthers missed short sending the Royals to their first victory of the season.

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
-High Point controlled the glass as they outrebounded the Royals 50-31. The margin was the largest deficit on the glass since December 21, 2019.
-The Royals improved to 3-11 over the last two seasons in games in which they are outrebounded. The last Queens victory came at Kennesaw State on February 18, 2023.
-Queens connected on a season-high 11 three-pointers, including a season-high four from BJ McLaurin.
-After averaging 17.0 turnovers through the first two games, the Royals were crisp with possession only committing five turnovers on the evening.
-The Royals forced 14 Panther turnovers which were converted into 21 points.
-The victory extended the Royals all-time series lead with the Panthers to 6-3.

NEXT UP
Queens will return to the court this weekend when they travel to Philadelphia for a multi-team event hosted by Drexel University. The Royals will square off against Fairfield University on Saturday, November 18^th at 6:00 p.m. inside the Daskalaskis Athletic Center on the campus of Drexel University. Following the Saturday night showdown, Queens will take on the hosts from Drexel University on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Fans can purchase their tickets in advance by visiting the Drexel Athletics website.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Be sure to follow Queens Men's Basketball on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok 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.