OPENING TIP
Score: Central Arkansas 84 | Queens 79
Records: Central Arkansas (20-11 overall, 15-3 ASUN) | Queens (18-13 overall, 13-5 ASUN)
Location: Farris Center (Conway, Ark.)
 
THE SHORT STORY
Facing a red-hot Central Arkansas squad that was looking for a victory to claim a share of the ASUN Regular Season title, the Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team dropped the regular season finale 84-79 inside the Farris Center in Conway. Queens battled for all 40 minutes but couldn't overcome 11 turnovers as the Bears capitalized with 14 points off those miscues, all of which came in the second half.

BY THE NUMBERS
-Nasir Mann led the Royals with 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting while adding five rebounds, one assist, and two steals.
-After being held scoreless in the first half, Chris Ashby found a rhythm from deep, burying five second-half triples and finishing with 17 points.
-Sophomore Yoav Berman reached double figures for the 15^th straight game with 17 points while also adding four rebounds and four assists.
-Rookie Jordan Watford packed the stat sheet off the bench with 12 points, four rebounds, and a team-high six assists across 21 minutes of work.
-Forward Avantae Parker impacted the game in multiple facets, pouring in six points, grabbing eight rebounds, and swatting three shots.
-Central Arkansas standout Camren Hunter led the Bears with a game-high 30 points, eight rebounds, and six assists across 33 minutes.

NOTABLE MOMENTS
-Central Arkansas pounced on the visiting Royals as the Bears jumped out to a 12-2 lead within three minutes of action to force a Queens timeout. Camren Hunter sparked the hot start with eight quick points, including a pair of triples.
-Trailing 16-6 with 12:02 remaining in the first half, Queens put together an 11-2 run over nearly six minutes to cut the deficit back to three. Nasir Mann led the charge with five points, including a three-pointer to cap the run. The Royals defense intensified, holding the Bears to a 1-for-8 clip during that span.
-Coming out of halftime, the Bears jumped out with a 14-5 run on 5-of-10 shooting and forced a pair of Queens turnovers to extend their lead to 16.
-Queens answered back halfway through the second half, putting together a 7-0 run on 3-of-3 shooting to cut the deficit back to single digits. Sharpshooter Chris Ashby provided a boost, burying his first three of the game during the span.
-The Royals found a groove late, sparking an 11-4 run with 6:10 remaining to cut the deficit down to three and force a Central Arkansas timeout. During the run, Nasir Mann provided the spark with six points while Chris Ashby connected on a timely corner three.
-Trailing by five with 3:51 remaining in the game, Yoav Berman found Chris Ashby in the corner, and the senior connected on the triple to cut the deficit down to two. However, Camren Hunter and the Bears didn't waver as they connected on 11-of-12 free throws to hold off any Royals comeback effort.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
-Central Arkansas controlled the glass 36-31 and turned 11 offensive rebounds into 11 second-chance points.
-Despite the Royals shooting 17-of-18 from the charity stripe, Central Arkansas countered with a 23-for-26 mark.

NEXT UP
Queens will turn their attention to the 2026 Atlantic Sun Tournament, which begins next week in Jacksonville, Florida. The Royals will be the third seed, which comes with a first-round bye. Queens will play the winner of the #6 and #11 game on Friday, March 6^th at 7:30 p.m. at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena. For more information on the ASUN Championship, click here. Fans can purchase tickets for the Royals quarterfinals game 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.