OPENING TIP
Score: No. 2 Purdue 104 | No. 15 Queens 71
Records: Purdue (28-8 overall, 13-7 ASUN) | Queens (21-14 overall, 13-5 ASUN)
Location: Enterprise Center (St. Louis, Mo.)
 
THE SHORT STORY
Making its first-ever NCAA Division 1 Tournament appearance, the Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team gave the preseason favorites from Purdue everything they could, but fell 104-71 inside the Enterprise Center. The Boilermakers size and physicality was on full display, outrebounding the Royals 41-19, including 15 offensive rebounds which were turned into 20 second-chance points.
 
FROM COACH LEONARD
"I'm really proud of our team, school, community, and all that we accomplished this year and how we represented the entire institution and the Atlantic Sun. It was an unbelievable season, and our guys can hang their heads high."

BY THE NUMBERS
-Senior Nasir Mann tied for the team-high with 10 points while adding two rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
-Freshman Jordan Watford added 10 points and six assists in his NCAA Tournament debut.
-Sharpshooters Chris Ashby and Carson Schwieger combined for 16 points on four combined triples.
-Maban Jabriel and Gus Larson came off the bench to net 15 combined points while grabbing eight rebounds.
-Second Team AP All-American Braden Smith posted a game-high 26 points while adding eight assists.
-Trey Kaufman-Renn and Oscar Cluff were key for the Boilermakers, combining for 34 points and 20 rebounds.
 
FROM NASIR MANN
"This was a fun experience and what basketball should be about: you go out, have fun, work hard, and reach success. Playing with these guys was an unbelievable season, and we made history, and we have high expectations for the team next year."

NOTABLE MOMENTS
-Purdue set the tone first by jumping out to an 11-4 lead with eight of those points coming from the block. Queens chipped back into it as Carson Schwieger and Chris Ashby connected on back-to-back triples. Trailing 20-12, Maban Jabriel pulled up from the logo and buried a three as the Boilermakers took a 24-17 lead into the under-12 media timeout.
-Leading 35-30 with 2:57 remaining in the first half, Purdue put together a 7-0 run, behind five points from C.J. Cox and a layup from Brayden Smith to force a Queens timeout as the lead was up to 12, the largest of the half.
-Coming out of the halftime break, Purdue was hot, putting together an 11-3 run, which was capped by a three-pointer from Fletcher Loyer, which forced a Queens timeout as the lead was up to 20.
-Queens wouldn't go down without a fight, stringing together a 7-2 run with 13:46 remaining in the game. The quick spark was capped off by a Maban Jabriel fast-break slam.
-Purdue wouldn't waver, connecting on 11-of-12 straight shots to take a 98-60 lead into the final media break.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
-Purdue caught fire in the second half, netting 59 points on 66 percent shooting. The Boilermakers were lethal from downtown, shooting 10-of-16 over the final 20 minutes.
-Queens forced the nation's leader in assist-to-turnover ratio into 12 turnovers, and capitalized with 15 points off those miscues.
-Despite the size mismatch, Queens outscored Purdue in the paint 44-38.
 
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.