OPENING TIP
Score: FGCU 90 | Queens 81
Records: FGCU (12-17, 6-8 ASUN) | Queens (12-18, 6-9 ASUN)
Location: Alico Arena (Fort Myers, Fla.)
 
THE SHORT STORY: Despite a solid first-half showing on the road, the Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team was outscored 52-42 in the second half as FGCU stormed back to take down the Royals.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
-AJ McKee led the Royals with 22 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including a 4-of-6 mark from downtown. McKee added four rebounds and a pair of assists to his line.
-Junior Deyton Albury reached double figures for the 25^th game this season pouring in 18 points. The Nassau native added six rebounds and a team-high three assists.
-Sharpshooter Chris Ashby contributed significantly to the strong first half and finished with 11 points. The Houston, Texas native buried three shots from downtown as he increased his season three-point total to 83.
-Bryce Cash and BJ McLaurin earned their 29^th and 30^th starts of the year, respectively. The duo combined to score 12 points while bringing in five rebounds.
-Kalib Mathews and Jaxon Pollard also earned starts and combined for 13 points and eight rebounds.
-Center Malcolm Wilson made his 30^th appearance on the season and pulled down five rebounds, including two on the offensive glass.
-Keeshawn Kellman was the catalyst for the Eagles recording an 18-point and 14-rebound double-double effort.

NOTABLE MOMENTS
-Queens wasted no time jumping on the Eagles jolting out to a 13-4 lead behind 5-of-6 shooting from the field which forced an early FGCU timeout. The Royals would see their lead grow to as much as 14 behind a 56 percent clip from the field going into the second media break.
-FGCU would respond with a 20-8 run, including a 9-0 stretch to tie the game 32-32 forcing a Queens timeout.
-Both teams cooled off significantly as the first half winded down as both offenses combined for three field goals over the final four minutes of action.
-FGCU opened the second half on a 12-4 run to grab their largest lead of the game at 50-43 forcing a Queens timeout.
-Trailing 66-56 with 8:00 minutes remaining in the game, the Royals ripped off an 11-4 run to cut the deficit to 70-67 which forced an FGCU timeout.
-The run would be ended following the timeout as the Eagles answered with a 20-14 surge and countered every Royals basket to hold onto the win.

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
-Junior guard AJ McKee became the seventh player in program history to reach 1,500 career points with his fifth point. 
-After being held to a 44 percent mark in the first half, the Eagles couldn't miss in the second half shooting 64 percent from the field.
-The Royals buried 11 shots from downtown on the night which is a mark that typically works in their favor. However, Queens fell to 9-6 on the year when making their season average of 9.0 three-pointers.
-With the loss, the Royals are now tied for ninth place in the ASUN standings with one game remaining. The top 10 teams will advance to the ASUN Tournament.

NEXT UP
Queens will return home for the regular season finale against Kennesaw State next Friday, March 1^st. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on ESPN Plus. 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.