CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Augusta State scored a season-high 56 points in the second half Tuesday night and defeated Queens 97-82 in Oven’s Gymnasium. ASU’s 97 points also marked a season-high and was the third straight game the Jaguars have set or matched their season high in scoring.

The victory – the Jags’ third straight – improved them to 7-2 overall, while the Royals dropped to 5-3 with the loss. The win also gave ASU a season sweep of Queens. The Jags won 78-66 in their home opener over the Royals on Dec. 5.

Junior forward AJ Bowman tallied a game-high 24 points and four blocks, the sixth time in nine games Bowman has paced the Jags in scoring. Freshman guard/forward Ben Madgen booked 22 points and sophomore center Garret Siler posted 17 points and a game-high eight rebounds. ASU got 27 points from its bench, including a career-high nine from junior forward Luke Tambon. Stephen Bailey managed 19 points to lead the Royals.

ASU fell behind early 6-0 before scoring eight of the next 10 points to pull even at 8-all on a pair of Tambon free throws. The Royals pulled ahead again by as much as eight before the Jags heated up, outscoring Queens 26-10 over the final 9:18 of the half to take a 41-33 lead into halftime.

The Jags used a 16-4 run over the first four minutes of the second half to open up a 20-point lead and took their largest lead of the night – a 23-point advantage – on a Steve Smith basket with 7:10 to play. ASU was up by 22 after a Tambon three-point play with just 1:41 left before Queens closed the game on a 9-2 spurt for the final margin.

The Jags made a season-high 26 free throws and their 83.9 percent shooting from the charity stripe – the second best of the season – offset 13 three-pointers by the Royals.

ASU shot 56.1 percent for the game, including 58.1 percent in the second half, to Queens’ 55.8 percent shooting. The Jags connected on seven treys, including two each from Bowman and Madgen.

The Jags break for the holidays before traveling to Hickory, N.C., to take on Lenoir-Rhyne and Catawba on consecutive days on Dec. 29 and 30. Both games will be played on the campus of Lenoir-Rhyne.