OPENING TIP
Score: Queens 78 | FGCU 75
Records: Queens (7-10, 1-1 ASUN) | FGCU (7-11, 1-2 ASUN)
Location: Curry Arena (Charlotte, N.C.)
 
THE SHORT STORY: Behind a career-high 27 points from Deyton Albury, the Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team picked up their first league win of the year with a convincing 78-75 win over FGCU.
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Junior guard Deyton Albury led the Royals with a career-high 27 points, including 17 second-half points. The performance was the Nassau natives sixth 20+ outing of the year. Albury also grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out a team-high five assists.
• Junior guard AJ McKee poured in 18 points on the night behind an efficient 7-for-13 shooting. The Charlotte native stuffed the stat sheet with four rebounds, two assists, a block, and a steal across 31 minutes of work.
• Sharpshooter Chris Ashby found his groove behind the arc totaling 12 points behind four shots from downtown. Ashby also added three rebounds and matched his season-high with two assists.
• Senior forward BJ McLaurin surpassed double digit points for the 10th time this year with 11 points. The senior pulled down six boards and added a block and a steal to his line.
• Newcomer Bryce Cash was a presence on the floor across 27 minutes of action. Cash brought down seven rebounds which tied for the team-high and added four points.
• For the Eagles, Keesha Kellman turned in 16 points and brought down a team-high nine rebounds.
• Queens finished the evening 48 percent from the field and 35 percent from behind the arc. The Royals buried 11 three pointers in the game which is two more than their season average.

NOTABLE MOMENTS

• The Royals were scorching hot from downtown to start the evening as they used four three pointers to take an 18-11 lead at the under 12-minute media timeout.
• The Eagles responded, however, making six straight field goals at one point to re-take the lead. The half continued to go back-and-forth, as the two squads went into the break tied 35-35. 
• With the Royals trailing 60-57 in the second half, sharpshooter Chris Ashby knocked down consecutive three-pointers giving the Royals the lead that they would keep for the rest of the game.

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• In the second half, the Royals shot a blistering 53 percent from the field and 38 percent from three-point range.
• The Royals perimeter defense stiffened in the second half holding the Eagles to just 21 percent from three-point range. 
• The Royals shared the ball effectively dishing out 15 assists on the evening. The Royals moved to 6-2 on the season when dishing out 15 or more assists.
• Queens proved opportunistic as they converted 10 Eagle turnovers into 15 points.
• The Royals improved to 3-0 all-time against the Eagles since joining the Division 1 ranks.

NEXT UP
Queens is back in action this Friday night, January 12th at 7:00 PM as they play host to Stetson University on ESPN Plus. The Royals faced Stetson once last year and defeated the Hatters 71-65 inside Curry Arena.
 
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.