Queens University of Charlotte Athletics

OPENING TIP
Score: Duquesne 87 | Queens 81
Records: Duquesne (3-0) | Queens (1-3)
Location: UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (Charlotte, N.C.)
 
THE SHORT STORY
After falling behind as much as 21 points in the first half, the Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team displayed a gritty second-half performance, overcoming the deficit to force overtime on the road against the 2024 Atlantic 10 Champions from Duquesne. The visiting Royals outscored the Dukes 41-32 in the second half, and dominated the boards 27-14 to spark the comeback attempt.

BY THE NUMBERS
-Sophomore Yoav Berman matched his career-high with a team-high 22 points while adding five rebounds and four assists.
-Veteran Nasir Mann turned in 16 points, five rebounds, and three steals across a career-high 38 minutes of work. The Gainesville, Florida, native buried the go-ahead three-pointer with 2:00 minutes remaining in regulation.
-Chris Ashby and Avantae Parker earned their fourth starts of the season and combined for 25 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists. Ashby hauled in five rebounds, matching his career-high and Parker swatted three shots and swiped a pair of steals.
-Sophomore Maban Jabriel was a key piece off the bench scoring eight points and grabbing 11 rebounds to match his career-high, including five offensive boards.
-Xavier transfer John Hugley IV led Duquesne with a double-double scoring a game-high 27 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
-Despite both teams committing 16 turnovers each, the Royals managed to capitalize with 14 points off the Dukes miscues.

NOTABLE MOMENTS
-Duquesne jumped on the visiting Royals 11-3 heading into the first media timeout. The Dukes capitalized on an aggressive Royals team with a 3-for-6 mark at the free-throw line while also forcing three early turnovers.
-Trailing 35-14 with 5:45 remaining in the first half, the Royals sparked an 18-8 run to close out the first 20 minutes. Queens connected on 6-of-7 shots from the field as Yoav Berman led the charge with seven points during that span. The Royals defense settled in, forcing four turnovers and limiting the Dukes to a 2-for-7 clip from the field.
-Holding a 45-38 lead with under 16 minutes to go, Duquesne strung together a 13-5 run behind a pair of three-pointers, their first of the game to increase their lead back to 15.
-Following a rim-rattling slam from David Dixon, the Royals countered with a 14-5 run to cut the deficit to four heading into the final media timeout. Chris Ashby, Maban Jabriel, Avantae Parker, and Yoav Berman combined to scored during the run.
-Coming out of the media break, Yoav Berman would drop in a pull up jumpshot before grabbing the ensuing Duquesne miss. The sophomore stormed down the court finding a wide-open Nasir Mann on the wing for the go-ahead three-pointer with 2:00 minutes remaining.
-The Dukes called a timeout and returned the favor out of the break as Jakub Necas buried a step-back three-pointer to send the Dukes back ahead 73-71. However, the lead was short-lived as three offensive rebounds from the Royals led to an Avantae Parker game-tying layup. Tarence Guinyard drove the lane for a layup, but Avantae Parker swatted the shot to set the Royals up with a chance at the game-winner. Yoav Berman saw a pull-up jumper rim out with four seconds remaining, but Maban Jabriel grabbed the offensive rebound and kicked out to Berman for the final look from deep, but it just missed sending the game to overtime.
-In overtime, Nasir Mann put the Royals ahead with a quick bucket, but the Dukes countered with a 7-0 run capped off by a Cameron Crawford three-pointer and never looked back as they held onto the 87-81 victory.

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
-Queens fell to 1-3 in overtime games in Division 1.
-Despite winning the glass 46-42, the Royals dropped to 40-16 in Division 1 when they outrebounded their opponent.
-After committing 11 turnovers in the first half, the Royals only suffered five miscues the rest of the game.

NEXT UP
Queens will return to Charlotte and prepare for a Saturday showdown against Sacred Heart. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+. Fans can purchase their tickets here. Saturday's game will be the first all-time meeting between Queens and Sacred Heart, and fans are encouraged to wear white for the annual "White Out" presented by Atrium Health.
 
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.