OPENING TIP
Score: Queens 85 | Gardner-Webb 83
Records: Queens (6-5) | Gardner-Webb (4-7)
Location: Paul Porter Arena (Boiling Springs, N.C.)
 
THE SHORT STORY
The Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team picked up another gritty road victory on Saturday afternoon taking down Gardner-Webb University 85-83 in Boiling Springs. The win extended the Royals winning streak to three straight while surpassing their win total on the road from a season ago.
 
FROM COACH LEONARD
"Road wins are huge, and it builds up confidence. I think our guys are comfortable and understand that these games are equivalent to league games on the road. More importantly, the team that won our league in the last couple of years finished 7-6 in non-conference. So, we don't have to blow it out the water, but just get better and I think that's what everyone is seeing from our guys."

BY THE NUMBERS
-Graduate student Leo Colimerio led all scorers with a season-high 27 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field. Colimerio went an efficient 8-of-9 from the free throw line matching his career-high set against UNLV last season.
-Malcolm Wilson poured in a season-high 11 points and slammed home five dunks. The Columbia, South Carolina native added four rebounds, a block, and an assist to his line.
-Charlotte native Bryce Cash packed the stat sheet with eight points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
-Senior Kalib Mathews earned his second start of the season and turned in eight points, five rebounds, and two assists.
-The Royals bench, featuring Nasir Mann, Yoav Berman, Jaxon Pollard, and Maban Jabriel combined to score 28 points on 62 percent shooting from the field.
-The game was won at the free throw line as the Royals went 22-of-29 from the stripe while the Runnin' Bulldogs struggled with an 11-for-22 clip.
-Queens forced 16 turnovers on the day and converted them into 20 points.

NOTABLE MOMENTS
-Trailing 29-21 in the first half, the Runnin' Bulldogs sparked a 7-0 run capped off by an Anthony Selden layup to cut the deficit to one.
-Queens caught fire at the end of the first half connecting on six of their last eight attempts from the field as Maban Jabriel buried a buzzer-beater from deep to round out the half.
-After connecting on the first two shots from the field out of the break and extending the lead to the largest of the game, the Royals went on a three-minute scoreless drought as the Runnin' Bulldogs cut back into the deficit.
-Trailing 60-52 with 11:15 remaining in the first half, Gardner-Webb would find their groove connecting on six of their next seven shots to tie the game at 69.

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
-Queens broke down the Gardner-Webb zone in the first half with quality paint touches. The Royals finished with 36 points in the paint.
-The Royals improved to 25-10 in Division 1, and 5-0 this season when reaching 80 points.
-Queens remained perfect this season at 6-0 when taking the lead into the halftime break.
-Gardner-Webb struggled from the charity stripe, specifically in the second half going 10-for-18 from the line.
-The Runnin' Bulldogs shot 62 percent from the field, the most by a Royals opponent since Clemson last season.
 
FROM LEO COLIMERIO
"For us, finishing games has been a big emphasis in practice and it starts with rebounding. We just need to keep doing those little things on the road, and execute the plan that coach gives to us. If we can follow that, then everything will be okay."

NEXT UP
Queens will return to the floor on Wednesday, December 18^th when the Royals welcome Mercer University to Curry Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN Plus. The midweek tilt will mark the second all-time between the Royals and the Bears after Mercer took the opener 84-65 last season.
 
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.