OPENING TIP
Score: Queens 87 | Lipscomb 81
Records: Queens (15-12 overall, 10-4 ASUN) | Lipscomb (16-11 overall, 9-5 ASUN)
Location: Curry Arena (Charlotte, N.C.)
 
THE SHORT STORY
In a key ASUN battle with potential seeding implications in the ASUN Tournament on the line, the Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team held off a late Lipscomb comeback effort to secure an 87-81 victory inside Curry Arena. Avantae Parker was the sparkplug all afternoon, netting a career-high 22 points while adding four rebounds, three assists, four steals, and six blocks. With the victory, Queens slides into sole possession of third place in the ASUN standings, behind Austin Peay and Central Arkansas, who already clinched a top four spot in the tournament.

BY THE NUMBERS
-Parker led the Royals offense with 22 points and added three assists. On defense, the junior secured four rebounds while matching his career-high with four steals and six blocks.
-Sophomore Yoav Berman impacted the game in every way with 16 points, six rebounds, seven assists, and a steal across 33 minutes of work.
-Veteran Nasir Mann packed the stat sheet with 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting while adding seven boards.
-Sharpshooter Chris Ashby connected on three triples and finished with 11 points, two rebounds, and two assists.
-Jordan Watford and Maban Jabriel provided a spark off the bench, combining for 16 points five rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
-Grant Asman led the Bisons with 16 points on 7-of-18 shooting from the field.
-Turnovers were an issue for both offenses as the two teams combined for 33 turnovers. The Bisons capitalized with 24 points off Royals miscues, and Queens countered with 15 points off turnovers.
 
NOTABLE MOMENTS
-Queens jumped out to a 24-16 lead heading into the second media timeout as the Royals connected on 9-of-14 shooting from the field. All tied 9-9, the Royals ripped off a 15-7 run to force a Lipscomb timeout as the lead was up to eight.
-Holding a 30-21 lead with 8:04 remaining in the first half, Queens sparked a 17-8 run to extend their lead to the largest of the half at 19 with 4:18 remaining in the half.
-The visiting Bisons seemed to settle in late in the half, putting together a 6-0 run to close the half as the Royals took a 52-38 lead into the break. In the opening half, the Queens offense was clicking as the Royals shot 68-percent from the field and connected on seven triples.
-Queens countered the Bisons late first-half momentum with a hot start to the second half. The Royals opened the final 20 minutes on a 9-2 run, which was capped off by a Chris Ashby corner three to extend the Royals lead to 21.
-Trailing 72-53 with 10:40 remaining in the game, Lipscomb ripped off an 11-2 run to cut the deficit back to 10 with 6:30 to go in the game.
-The final five minutes of action proved worrisome for Royals fans as Queens went without a bucket from the field during that stretch. Lipscomb sparked a 15-6 run, with all six points for the Royals coming from the free throw line, and cut the deficit down to three with 10 seconds remaining. Yoav Berman and Avantae Parker would get four looks over the final 10 seconds, and converted three of those to secure the six-point victory.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
-The 68-percent shooting clip in the opening half tied for the best shooting percentage in a single half this season by the Royals.
-Avantae Parker's six blocks were the most by a Royal this season. Queens finished with seven blocks on the night, the second most in a single game this season.
-The 18 turnovers committed by Queens were the most in a single game this season.

NEXT UP
Queens will hit the road for a game at North Alabama on Wednesday, February 18^th, at 7:00 p.m. inside CB&S Bank Arena. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, and fans can purchase their tickets in advance here.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
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