OPENING TIP
Score: Queens 98 | USC Upstate 74
Records: Queens (3-3) | USC Upstate (2-6)
Location: Freedom Hall (Johnson City, Tenn.)
 
THE SHORT STORY
Despite struggling to connect offensively through five games, the Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team finally broke through draining a season-high 14 three-pointers, including seven from Chris Ashby to dominate USC Upstate in the opening game of the ETSU Tournament. The Royals saw 12 players find the scoring column as Chris Ashby, Asjon Anderson, and Leo Colimerio led the way in double figures.

BY THE NUMBERS
-Senior Chris Ashby matched his career-high set last season with 23 points on an incredible 7-of-13 shooting from downtown. The seven made shots from deep tied his career-high which he has hit four times over three seasons.
-Charlotte native Bryce Cash put together a quality 25 minutes of action with five points, eight rebounds, four assists, and one steal. Cash pulled down eight boards to match his career-high for the second straight game.
-Asjon Anderson got his second straight start for the Royals and reached double figures for the fourth game this season with 11 points while adding four rebounds and four assists.
-Forward Leo Colimerio earned his sixth straight start since joining the Royals this offseason. The Fresno State transfer turned in 11 points and five rebounds, including a season-high three on the offensive end.
-Senior Kalib Mathews turned in his best performance of the season with nine points on 4-of-5 shooting and seven rebounds to match his career-high.
-Nasir Mann and Yoav Berman combined to net 16 points on 50 percent shooting from the field. The duo added 10 boards, including seven from Mann and three steals.
-Forward Jaxon Pollard packed the stat sheet with seven points, five rebounds, two assists, and a steal over 13 minutes of work.
-The nation's leading shot blocker Malcolm Wilson swatted three more shots to increase his season total to 32. Wilson added six points and two boards.

NOTABLE MOMENTS
-USC Upstate jumped out to a 16-7 lead on the Royals connecting on 7-of-8 shots before the first media timeout. The Spartans forced three turnovers which translated into six points.
-The Spartans physicality on defense resulted in early fouls which put Queens in the bonus with 14:05 remaining in the first half. The Royals capitalized by going 8-of-10 from the charity stripe during that span.
-All tied 34-34 with 5:10 remaining in the first half, the Royals broke off a 16-6 run to close the half and take a 10-point lead into the break.
-After sparking a 6-0 run to increase their lead to 14 to kick off the second half, the Royals saw it diminish as the Spartans ripped off an 8-0 run. The surge cut the deficit back to six.

 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
-The seven three-pointers from Ashby were one shy of tying the single-game program record set by Todd Withers on March 12, 2017.
-Queens cashed in from the charity stripe shooting a season-high 18-for-26.
-The Royals dished out 20 assists for the second time this season.
-Queens improved to 2-0 on the year, and 22-10 over the last three seasons when scoring 80 points.
-With the win, Queens improved to 5-4 in Division 1 against teams from North Carolina and South Carolina.
-Queens won the battle on the glass 41-38 and improved to 17-3 over the last three seasons in non-conference action.

NEXT UP
Queens has a quick turnaround as the Royals will face East Tennessee State tomorrow, November 24^th at 5:00 p.m. inside Freedom Hall. The game will be broadcast on ESPN Plus. The Sunday showdown will mark the Royals second all-time meeting with the Buccaneers. Queens took down ETSU in Johnson City by a final score of 78-75 two seasons ago. Fans can purchase their tickets in advance by visiting the Queens 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.