OPENING TIP
Score: Queens 91 | North Florida 72
Records: Queens (14-11) | North Florida (6-19)
Location: Curry Arena (Charlotte, N.C.)
 
THE SHORT STORY
In front of an electric Homecoming crowd inside Curry Arena, redshirt sophomore Carson Schwieger gave Royals Nation a show with a career-high 29 points on seven three-pointers as Queens took down North Florida 91-72. Schwieger's offense set the tone on defense for the Royals as Queens outscored the Ospreys 40-22 over the final 20 minutes of action.
 
FROM COACH LEONARD
"I thought our guys really had our best defensive second half of the year. They really trusted each other, sat down and guarded, and made them play in isolations and it bothered them. Proud of our guys because it was a group effort."

BY THE NUMBERS
- Carson Schwieger had the hot hand all game, scoring a career-high 29 points and grabbing four rebounds while hitting a career-best seven three-pointers.
-Yoav Berman maintained his solid play, scoring 12 points while dishing out six assists.
-Jordan Watford continued his stellar freshman season with 12 points and a season-high seven rebounds off the bench.
-Avantae Parker was a force in the paint, scoring 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting and grabbing seven rebounds.
-Chris Ashby knocked down two three-pointers, scoring eight points overall.
-Isaiah Henry brought his usual physicality off the bench, scoring four points and grabbing five rebounds.
-Gus Larson provided quality depth as well, scoring four points and grabbing three rebounds in just 11 minutes of action.

NOTABLE MOMENTS
- Just under three minutes into the contest, while trailing 6-5, Chris Ashby found Carson Schwieger at the top of the key, who buried a heavily contested three-pointer through contact and converted a rare four-point play at the charity stripe.
-The Queens offense went stagnant for a while, and North Florida's Kamrin Oriol made the Royals pay, hitting three triples in the opening seven minutes to jump out to an early lead. With 12:37 to play in the first half, Avantae Parker dished it to Maban Jabriel, who drilled an open three-pointer in the corner to cut the Osprey's lead down to one.
-Trailing by seven just after a media timeout, Jordan Watford launched a pass to Carson Schwieger, who drilled his second three-pointer of the game through contact once more and subsequently converted his second four-point play in just seven minutes. On the very next possession, Schwieger connected on another three after an Osprey turnover to tie the game at 27. Less than a minute later, Avantae Parker converted an and-one of his own in the paint to take the lead and cap off a 10-0 Royals run in just a minute and a half.
-Leading 43-39 after a barrage of free throws from North Florida, Nasir Mann spun past his defender at the free throw line and threw a nifty bounce pass to Gus Larson under the basket, who completed the highlight, throwing down a dunk to push the lead to six. Both teams continued to trade blows over the last four minutes of the half as the Royals took a 51-50 lead into the locker room.
-North Florida started off hot in the second half, hitting three three-pointers in under two minutes to retake the lead. However, Queens answered right back with a 14-1 run sparked by an array of buckets inside from both Jordan Watford and Avantae Parker to lead 72-63 with 12:30 to play.
-Queens continued to play efficient offense throughout the second half, as Yoav Berman found Carson Schwieger in the corner, who nailed a three-pointer, and did the same his next time down the court in the opposite corner to extend Queens' lead to 19.
 
FROM CARSON SCHWIEGER
"I give a lot of credit to my teammates because all I'm really doing is catching and shooting. Berman and Watford are such high-IQ point guards and always see me, so shoutout to them. I'm not doing anything that hard because it's what I work on every day, so credit to them for finding me in those spots.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Carson Schwieger set a new career high with 29 points, the second most by a Royal this season.
-After holding a slim advantage on the glass at halftime, Queens crashed the boards hard in the second half, outrebounding the Ospreys 23-12 over the final 20 minutes of action.
-While connecting on 10 threes on the night, Queens made their presence felt on the block, scoring 44 points in the paint.
-The 22 second-half points from the Ospreys tied for the fewest points given up in a single half by the Royals this season.

NEXT UP
Queens will stay home in Curry Arena to face off against Austin Peay on Wednesday, February 11^th. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 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.