OPENING TIP
Score: Queens 67 | Western Carolina 54
Records: Queens (2-0) | Western Carolina (1-1)
Location: Curry Arena (Charlotte, N.C.)
 
THE SHORT STORY
In his second outing in the Queen City, junior guard Asjon Anderson took Royals Nation by storm with a 24-point outing to surge Queens past Western Carolina. The Tacoma, Washington native buried 4-of-8 three-pointers and an efficient 10-of-12 shots from the charity stripe to lead all scorers. The in-state showdown was the second all-time meeting between the two programs as the Royals evened the series.
 
FROM COACH LEONARD
"I think in years past, we would have struggled to get the stops to allow us to pull away, but we had nine turkeys tonight which is three consecutive stops, so when your defense can propel you, it really gives you a chance to win despite having a bad shooting night. There's still stuff to learn and grow on, but I thought we shared the ball well and got better as the game progressed. Most importantly, these guys all really believed in each other and put together a team defensive effort."

BY THE NUMBERS
-Asjon Anderson turned in a game-high 24 points across 21 minutes of action. On the defensive end, Anderson grabbed a pair of rebounds and swiped a steal.
-Center Malcolm Wilson continued his dominant start to the season with seven points, 12 rebounds, and six blocks. The 12 boards tied his career-high which he set in the Royals season opener on Monday.
-Point guard Bryce Cash packed the stat sheet with four points, nine assists, and five rebounds. The nine assists marked a career-high for the Charlotte native.
-In his second career game, freshman Yoav Berman nearly turned in a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds.
-Newcomer Leo Colimerio was active on both ends of the court turning in eight points, four boards, and three steals which tied his career-high.
-Queens was relentless on the defensive end as the Royals held the visiting Catamounts to a 31-percent clip from the field and a 14-percent mark from downtown. Across two games, Royals opponents are shooting 24 percent and averaging under 47.0 points per game.
-The Royals defended their den and improved to 11-1 in non-conference home games since joining Division 1.

NOTABLE MOMENTS
-The Friday night showdown got off to a slow start as both offenses worked to settle in. Heading into the first media timeout, Western Carolina led 5-3 as the Royals went 1-for-8 from the field, and 1-for-5 from downtown.
-After settling in and holding an 18-15 lead, Asjon Anderson ripped off an 11-0 run behind a trio of three-pointers to give the Royals a 26-15 advantage.
-Leading 38-25 with 17:33 remaining in the game, the visiting Catamounts went on a 14-4 run to cut the Queens lead to four.
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
-Malcolm Wilson is the first player in the program's Division 1 history to swat six shots in back-to-back games.
-Sharpshooter Chris Ashby connected on a pair of three-pointers for the ninth consecutive game. The streak is the fifth longest in Division 1 with its record being 19 set by Ashby in 2022-2023.
-Queens outrebounded Western Carolina 51-47 on the night and improved to 16-3 in Division 1 non-conference games in which they won the battle of the boards.
 
FROM ASJON ANDERSON
"Going on that 11-0 run was super big and helped me with my confidence. I felt like it made me play harder and let the game come to me, so it was big."

NEXT UP
Queens will hit the road for a five-game road stretch beginning next week. The Royals will head west for back-to-back showdowns with Utah and BYU beginning Tuesday, November 12^th against the Utes. Tipoff is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ESPN Plus. Queens will have a quick turnaround as the Royals head to Provo on Wednesday, November 13^th for a matchup with BYU at 9:00 p.m. on ESPN Plus. Fans can purchase tickets for both games 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.