OPENING TIP
Score: Jacksonville 79 | Queens 77
Records: Jacksonville (10-8, 1-3 ASUN) | Queens (8-11, 1-3 ASUN)
Location: Swisher Gymnasium (Jacksonville, Fla.)
 
THE SHORT STORY: The Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team dropped a physical Thursday night battle at Jacksonville University after a solid first-half performance.
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Point guard Deyton Albury led the Royals with 23 points on the night as he attempted a career-high 21 free throws. The junior guard stuffed the stat sheet grabbing five rebounds, dishing out two assists, and swiping a team-high five steals.
• Junior AJ McKee added 21 points of his own on the night. The Royals scoring leader packed the stat sheet grabbing seven rebounds and totaling four steals on the evening matching his career-high.
• Senior forward BJ McLaurin poured in 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds. It was the Fayetteville native's eleventh time cracking double-digit points this season.
• Charlotte native Bryce Cash put together a solid performance scoring seven points and grabbing seven rebounds matching his season-high. The rookie played a season-high 37 minutes of work.
• Jaxon Pollard pulled down a career-high eight rebounds, including three on the offensive glass to lead the Royals.
• Sharpshooter Chris Ashby scored eleven points on the night, including three makes from behind the arc. It marked the Houston, Texas native's tenth time making at least three three-pointers in a game on the season.
• For the Dolphins, redshirt sophomore Robert McCray V led the way with a career-high 28 points on the evening.
• The Dolphins dominated the glass taking the advantage 51-39, including a 38-24 mark on the defensive glass.

NOTABLE MOMENTS

• Leading 22-20 halfway through the first half, the Royals exploded for a 10-0 run as they took a 32-20 lead with 3:24 left in the first half. The Royals would take a 37-26 lead into the intermission.
• The home-crowd-backed Dolphins clawed their way back going on a 19-2 run, behind their stifling defense, that gave them a 62-60 lead with 4:24 to play.
• Trailing 74-66, BJ McLaurin nailed two long-distance three-pointers to trim the Dolphin lead to two points with 41 seconds to play. On the final possession of the game, a tap-in dunk from Kalib Mathews to send the game to overtime rimmed out as the Royals fell 79-77.

 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

• The difference in the night proved to be the free throw line as the Royals shot a season-low 21-of-43 from the charity stripe. Jacksonville countered with a 29-for-40 clip.
• The Queens defense was relentless in the first half swiping a season-high 15 steals. The Royals would finish the night with 17 points off 21 Dolphin turnovers.
• After shooting 43 percent in the first half, the Royals cooled off in the final 20 minutes shooting 36 percent from the field.
• Queens fell to 4-2 on the year when leading at the break. The Royals were ahead 37-26 on Thursday night going into the intermission.

 
NEXT UP
The Royals are back in action this Saturday, January 20th as they will stay down south to take on North Florida. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN Plus. Queens faced North Florida once last year falling in a close 95-90 road battle.
 
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.