OPENING TIP
Score: Queens 75 | Lipscomb 73
Records: Queens (10-6 overall, 3-0 ASUN) | Lipscomb (10-6 overall, 2-1 ASUN)
Location: Allen Arena (Nashville, Tenn.)
 
THE SHORT STORY
Despite trailing by 13 with 15:42 remaining in the second half, the Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team remained composed and pulled out a gritty 75-73 victory over the preseason favorites from Lipscomb inside Allen Arena. The Royals used a 57 percent shooting mark in the second half which included six three pointers to storm from behind to pick up the statement win.

BY THE NUMBERS
-Sharpshooter Chris Ashby led the Royals with a game-high 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the perimeter. The Houston native has connected on three or more shots from deep 42 times in his career.
-Veteran Kalib Mathews poured in a season-high 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field, and a 5-of-6 mark from the free throw line. The guard matched his career-high with seven rebounds.
-Jaxon Pollard tied his career-high with 13 points while adding five rebounds and two assists.
-Freshman Yoav Berman turned in a key nine points off the bench with three rebounds, two steals, and a block.
-Charlotte native Bryce Cash buried the game-winner and added a career-high nine rebounds.
-Queens dominated the glass 41-27, including 18-8 on the offensive end. The Royals turned those second chance opportunities into 19 points.
-The Royals bench which ranks top 25 in the country in scoring managed to pour in 36 points while the Bisons bench only mustered 10 points.

NOTABLE MOMENTS
-The visiting Royals jumped out to a quick 11-2 lead as Chris Ashby buried three shots from downtown.
-Trailing 22-18 with 8:36 remaining in the first half, Lipscomb ripped off a 14-2 run capped off by back-to-back three-pointers from Charlie Williams to control an eight-point lead.
-After taking a 32-28 lead into the break, Lipscomb opened the second half on a 9-3 run to grow their lead to 10 and forcing a Queens timeout.
-Queens ripped off an impressive 10-0 run over three minutes to cut the deficit to three with 13:00 remaining as they headed into the under 12 media timeout. Coming out of the break, Lipscomb drained consecutive jumpers, but the Royals ripped off another 11-1 surge to jolt back ahead by two.
-After Lipscomb connected on a three-pointer with 15 seconds left to tie the game, the Royals called a timeout to draw up their final play. Leo Colimerio found Kalib Mathews on the inbound pass before the veteran found sophomore Bryce Cash slipping to the basket for the go-ahead layup. Lipscomb pushed down the floor and tossed up a last-second layup to try and tie it, but missed clinching the win for Queens.

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
-The Royals became the sixth team to go into Allen Arena and pick up a victory over the last three seasons. Prior to the loss, the Bisons had rattled off six straight league wins dating back to last season.
-Queens is 3-0 in ASUN play for the first time since joining the league in 2022. The Royals are the last team remaining to be unbeaten.
-The Royals improved to 10-0 this season when leading with five minutes to go in the game.
-Queens is now 3-0 on the season in games that are decided by one possession.

NEXT UP
Queens will continue their road stand in Tennessee on Saturday, January 11^th when the Royals travel to Clarksville for a showdown with Austin Peay. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ESPN Plus. The meeting will mark the fourth all-time between the two programs with the Royals holding a 2-1 advantage. All three meetings have been decided by two possessions with the Govs escaping last season 79-76 inside F&M Bank Arena. Fans can purchase their tickets in advance by visiting the Austin Peay 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.