JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Interstat) — In a game defined by a decisive opening surge and a resilient closing stand, the Queens Royals secured a 71-63 victory over the West Georgia Wolves in an ASUN Conference men’s basketball game Friday night at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena.

A crowd of 2,024 saw the Royals improve to 19-13 overall, while the Wolves concluded their regular season at 15-17. The result split the season series, with each team winning on its opponent’s home floor, and fell well below the pregame over/under line of 164.5.

The most critical phase of the contest arrived immediately after the opening tip. Queens, leveraging its defensive intensity and the offensive prowess of Gainesville native Nasir Mann, constructed an early advantage that West Georgia spent the remainder of the evening attempting to dismantle.

The Royals opened the game on a 10-0 run, a stretch that set the tone. Mann, a 6-foot-5 guard, drew a foul on the game’s first possession and sank both free throws. After a West Georgia turnover, he then connected on a 3-pointer assisted by Yoav Berman. Avantae Parker’s free throws capped the burst before the Wolves managed their first points nearly four minutes into the game.

West Georgia, plagued by early turnovers and missed shots, never fully recovered from that initial deficit. The Wolves shot a frigid percentage from the floor in the first half, managing only 25 points. Queens, meanwhile, maintained its composure and efficiency, taking a 33-25 lead into halftime behind 12 first-half points from Mann and nine from Carson Schwieger, who hit three 3-pointers before the break.

The second half saw West Georgia find a more consistent offensive rhythm, primarily through the interior work of Kenneth Chime and the scoring of Josh Smith. The Wolves outscored the Royals 38-38 after halftime, repeatedly cutting the lead to single digits. A driving layup by Smith brought West Georgia within 66-63 with just under a minute to play, applying significant pressure on the Royals.

Queens, however, delivered the necessary response to seal the game. Following Smith’s basket, the Royals executed their offense and found Mann for a crucial dunk with one second remaining on the shot clock, pushing the lead back to five points. After a West Georgia miss, Queens secured the defensive rebound and iced the game at the free-throw line.

Mann finished as the game’s leading scorer with 17 points, adding four assists and four steals in 34 minutes, consistently making plays at both ends during pivotal moments. Schwieger, from Overland Park, Kansas, provided a vital scoring punch off the bench with 14 points, all from beyond the arc or the free-throw line. Parker, a 6-foot-9 forward from Columbia, South Carolina, controlled the paint with 12 points, two assists and two blocks, while Chris Ashby contributed 10 points.

For West Georgia, Chime, a 6-foot-9 forward from Enugu, Nigeria, posted 13 points and two blocks. Smith, from Chicago, led the Wolves with 14 points, and Kolten Griffin added 11. The Wolves’ effort was hampered by 18 turnovers, which Queens converted into 19 points.

The victory provided Queens with momentum heading into the conference tournament, while West Georgia’s season, marked by narrow defeats including an overtime loss to Eastern Kentucky and a two-point loss to Austin Peay, concluded with a performance that mirrored its year: competitive but ultimately unable to overcome an early setback against a disciplined opponent.