OPENING TIP
Score: Lipscomb 94 | Queens 81
Records: Lipscomb (17-8 overall, 9-3 ASUN) | Queens (15-10 overall, 8-4 ASUN)
Location: Curry Arena (Charlotte, N.C.)
 
THE SHORT STORY
In front of a raucous 1,075 fans in attendance for Homecoming, the Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team dropped a close battle against the ASUN preseason favorites from Lipscomb. The visiting Bisons couldn't miss in the second half dropping 61 points on 65-percent shooting from the field. Despite the loss, veteran Leo Colimerio poured in a game-high 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field.
 
FROM COACH LEONARD
"I thought Lipscomb did a really good job executing in the second half, so hats off to them for their shooting performance. I told our guys in the locker room that winning championships is about the tough stuff, such as getting stops, offensive rebounds, and getting those loose balls. We'll review the film and get back to work. If we want to win a championship, then all of those little things have to happen and come together on the defensive end."

BY THE NUMBERS
-Graduate student Leo Colimerio paced the offense with 26 points while adding four assists. The Sao Paulo, Brazil native was electric in the first half totaling 18 points.
-Kalib Mathews turned in a season-high 14 points while adding three assists, one rebound, one steal, and one block across 31 minutes of action.
-Charlotte native Bryce Cash turned in a quality afternoon with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting while adding four rebounds and an assist.
-Coming off a career-high 27 points, sharpshooter Chris Ashby remained in rhythm with the opportunities he saw adding 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field.
-Freshman Maban Jabriel provided a boost off the bench for Queens turning in eight points and two boards across 22 minutes of action.
-Nasir Mann and Yoav Berman rounded out the Royals scoring with a combined 13 points and six rebounds.
-Five different Bisons notched double figures as Gyasi Powell led the charge with 23 points and six rebounds. Preseason All-ASUN selection Jacob Ognacevic posted an 18-point and 10-rebound double-double.
-Lipscomb controlled the glass 29-24 and turned second-chance opportunities into 10 points.

NOTABLE MOMENTS
-Queens jumped out to an early 10-6 lead courtesy of a 7-0 early run as the Royals connected on 3-of-3 straight field goals. Leo Colimerio paced the early offense with five points heading into the first media timeout. Coming out of the break, the Bisons countered with a quick 7-0 run to regain a 13-10 advantage.
-The Royals sparked a late 12-0 run to end the first half while holding the Bisons to a three-minute scoring drought. During that surge, Nasir Mann put back an epic follow-up slam dunk that sent Curry Arena into a frenzy.
-The visiting Bisons opened the second half on a quick 8-2 run capped off by a Gyasi Powell three-pointer to cut the deficit back down to two.
-Trailing 66-63 with 9:51 remaining in the game, the Bisons ripped off an 8-0 run within a minute to grab the largest lead of the game at 10. The run was capped off by a Charlie Williams three-pointer forcing a Queens timeout. The Bisons wouldn't surrender that leading holding onto the 94-81 victory.

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
-The 1,075 fans in attendance marked the third-largest crowd inside Curry Arena.
-The 61-point second half from Lipscomb marked the most points scored in a single half by a Royals opponent this season.
-The 26-point effort from Leo Colimerio marked the fifth most points scored in a game by a Royal this season, and the sixth time the veteran has posted 20+ points.
-With the victory, Lipscomb evened the season series and improved to 3-1 all-time against the Royals.

NEXT UP
Queens will hit the road next week for a pair of ASUN games in Kentucky. The Royals will square off against Bellarmine on Thursday, February 13^th at 6:30 p.m. before heading to Eastern Kentucky for a Saturday afternoon showdown at 4:00 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN Plus. Fans can purchase tickets for the 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.