JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Queens University of Charlotte Royals claimed the 2026 Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) Men’s Basketball Tournament Title for the first time in program history after defeating Central Arkansas in overtime on Sunday afternoon.
Queens captured the ASUN Tournament title Sunday afternoon with a 98-93 overtime victory against Central Arkansas at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. The win secured the first tournament championship in program history for Queens in its first eligible season as a full Division I member and sends the Royals to the NCAA Tournament following Selection Sunday. Queens improved to 21-13 on the season with the victory.
The final matchup was tightly contested throughout, featuring nine lead changes and four ties. Queens controlled the lead for 33:35 of game time, while Central Arkansas held the advantage for 9:11. Central Arkansas led 34-30 at halftime after opening the game on an early run that produced an 8-0 advantage in the first half. Queens responded with a strong second-half performance, scoring 52 points in the period while shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range to push the game into overtime. In overtime, the Royals outscored Central Arkansas 16-11 to secure the five-point victory. Queens knocked down key free throws in the final seconds to seal the title.
Queens shot 46 percent from the field (30-of-65), including 16-of-38 from three-point range, and 22-of-27 from the free throw line. Central Arkansas finished 32-of-75 from the field (43 percent) and 15-of-36 from beyond the arc. Queens also produced 20 second-chance points and 26 points from the bench in the victory. Chris Ashby led Queens with 34 points, including key free throws late in regulation to help secure the tournament victory. Ashby also played a major role in overtime, scoring early, including a three-pointer that pushed Queens ahead and helped the Royals regain control of the game. Jordan Watford also delivered a strong performance with 19 points, knocking down two free throws in the closing seconds of overtime to extend the Royals’ lead. Tournament MVP, Nasir Mann, added 14 points for Queens and contributed on the glass with nine rebounds, including a defensive rebound in the final seconds that helped preserve the Royals’ lead. With the win, Queens will represent the league in the NCAA Tournament when the 68-team bracket is revealed on Selection Sunday, March, 15 on CBS at 6 PM ET.
Follow @ASUNSports for updates throughout the postseason.
All Tournament Team
Nasir Mann, Queens – Tournament MVP
Chris Ashby, Queens
Jordan Watford, Queens
Ty Robinson, Central Arkansas
Camren Hunter, Central Arkansas
Rashaud Marshall, Austin Peay
J.R. Konieczny, FGCU
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source asunsports.org ’
