OPENING TIP
Score: Queens 87 | North Alabama 62
Records: Queens (12-8 overall, 7-0 ASUN) | North Alabama (6-12 overall, 1-6 ASUN)
Location: Curry Arena (Charlotte, N.C.)
 
THE SHORT STORY
After two and a half weeks without a home game, the Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team returned to Curry Arena and greeted Royals Nation with a quality 87-62 victory over North Alabama on Wednesday night. Five Royals reached double figures in the win as freshman Jordan Watford led the charge with a season-high 23 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field. With the victory, Queens remains atop the league standings with a perfect 7-0 mark to open conference play.
 
FROM COACH LEONARD
"North Alabama never lets you get comfortable because of how physical they are and how they play, but our staff goes over different possibilities every game, and we talked a lot about how North Alabama may try to run us off the three-point line, which they did. When that happens, you have to have guys play with force, which Yoav and Avantae really did. They also did an unbelievable job at the free-throw line, shooting 24/25. I'm really proud of them."

BY THE NUMBERS
- Jordan Watford led the Royals in scoring in just 21 minutes, recording a season-high 23 points on 7-of-10 shooting, also adding two assists and a steal, as well as going 8/8 at the charity stripe.
-Yoav Berman chipped in 20 points for the second time this season as well as five rebounds, two assists, and three steals.
-Avantae Parker dominated the paint, scoring 18 points, grabbing nine rebounds, and blocking three shots.
-Nasir Mann had another solid night, contributing 10 points on just five shots while dishing out three assists and making all six of his free throws.
-Carson Schwieger continued his solid play, recording 11 points and three rebounds over 25 minutes of action.
-Gus Larson and Maban Jabriel both made a defensive impact off the bench, combining for two blocks and three steals in just 25 collective minutes.
-Kevin de Kovachich led the Lions with 15 points, including a 10-for-10 clip from the charity stripe.
-Queens was nearly perfect when given their opportunities at the charity stripe, shooting 24-for-25 from the line.

NOTABLE MOMENTS
- Queens initially struggled to break down the Lions on defense, but Yoav Berman ignited the Royals offense, breaking his man down three separate times to get to the rim and score the first six Royals points, good for an 8-4 lead at the first media timeout. North Alabama responded with a quick 8-2 run to take a 12-10 lead, before two straight dunks from Nasir Mann and Carson Schweiger regained the lead and got Curry Arena rocking with 13:00 to play in the first half.
-Holding an 18-13 lead with 11 minutes remaining in the first half, Jordan Watford sparked a monsoon of Royals offense, getting back-to-back layups followed by a corner three. On the next Lions possession, Yoav Berman stole a perimeter pass and dished it to Chris Ashby in transition, who completed an alley-oop to Avantae Parker to cap a 9-2 run in under two minutes.
-After failing to score a field goal for over two minutes following the under-eight media timeout, Jordan Watford backed his man down and hit a turnaround jumper. The next possession, Nasir Mann ripped the ball from UNA's Cornelius Williams and dished it out to Yoav Berman for an open corner three to take a 34-17 lead. The Lions answered right back with a 9-2 run to trim the Royals lead to 10 with 3:11 remaining in the half, with seven of those points coming from Canin Jefferson. Leading by seven with two minutes to play in the first, Nasir Mann, Jordan Watford, and Avantae Parker went 6/6 from the free throw line to keep a 42-33 lead at halftime.
-Queens started the second half off sloppily with two turnovers in the first two minutes, but responded quickly to boost their lead to 11. North Alabama punched right back a few minutes later with two three-pointers in just 32 seconds to cut the Royals lead to seven with under 14:00 remaining. The Lions got the deficit as low as five until Queens released a barrage of offense, scoring nine straight to bolster the lead to 16 with 7:54 remaining.
-Leading 71-54, Jordan Watford drove into the lane and laid the ball off the very top of the backboard with such finesse that it sat for a second and eventually rolled in. The Royals offensive momentum continued as they ripped off an 8-4 run over the next three minutes, and eventually coasted to the 25-point win.
 
FROM YOAV BERMAN
"We had one of our worst practices of the year the other day, so I think we all knew if we played like we practiced, we were going to lose. We had a much better mentality today in practice and shootaround, and I think it showed tonight."
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
-In an effort to counter the Lions heavy perimeter defense, Queens recorded a season high 54 points in the paint.
-The Royals forced 16 North Alabama turnovers, which the home team converted into 25 points.
-Queens won the battle on the glass 35-26, and improved to 7-2 this season when outrebounding their opponent.
-Five different Royals turned in double figures for the 10^th time this season.

NEXT UP
Queens will travel south to Carrollton, Georgia for a game on Saturday, January 24^th at West Georgia. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+. Fans can purchase their tickets in advance here.
 
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.