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HICKORY, N.C. – The seventh-ranked Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team (2-1) will face Young Harris College on Saturday night in its second and final game of the Conference Challenge. This marks the first-ever meeting between the Royals and the Mountain Lions.

Opening tipoff from Shuford Gymnasium on the campus of Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, North Carolina is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
 
Quick Facts
No. 7/8 Queens Royals (2-1)
(Game Notes)

-The Royals opened the Conference Challenge on Friday evening with a victory over Emmanuel College, 85-68, in a game in which six Royals scored in double figures. Lewis Diankulu scored 18 points on 9-for-14 shooting, while Daniel Carr scored 15 points and tied a career high with eight assists. Armoni Lee and Van Turner Jr. each scored 11, as Kevion Blaylock and Shaun Willett added 10 a piece. Queens led by as many as 22 points and led for nearly 38 minutes.

- Queens opened its season in the prestigious Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic presented by Hillyard. The Royals won their first game, 101-87, over William Jewell College before dropping their second game, 87-74, to Northern State University in a rematch of last year's national semifinal. The elite field featured the last two national champions and three of last year's four national semifinalists.

-Sunday's setback put an end to the Royals streak of consecutive unbeaten starts to the season. In the last three years, Queens had previously opened a combined 44-0 before losing a game. The streak began with a 12-0 start to the 2015-2016 campaign which at the time set program records for both longest winning streak and best start to a season. The Royals eclipsed or tied both of those records during each of the next two years, both times opening 16-0 before losing. Queens was the only NCAA men's basketball program to open each of the last three seasons at least 10-0 before losing (more than 1,200 NCAA institutions).

-The loss also marked the earliest loss in a season since Queens fell in its season opener to Georgia College on Nov. 14, 2014, and the first regular-season non-conference loss since falling to Livingstone on Dec. 3, 2014. The Royals had won 23 straight non-conference regular-season games.

-Queens was ranked No. 7 nationally in the NABC/Division II Preseason Rankings marking the fourth consecutive year in which the Royals cracked the top 10 of the official coaches' poll. Queens has been featured in the rankings in every regular-season poll for the last 45 weeks, dating back to Nov. 24, 2015, the first poll of the 2015-2016 season. Additionally the Royals were ranked No. 8 nationally in the D2SIDA Preseason Poll and No. 11 nationally by the Division II Bulletin.

-The Royals were picked No. 2 in the Conference's preseason poll receiving four first-place votes and 104 total points. Queens was voted second only to Lincoln Memorial University who garnered seven first-place votes and 107 total points.

-Queens returned five letter winners from last year's regional championship team; Diankulu (17.2 MPG, 8.8 PPG, 3.6 RPG), Willett (14.8 MPG, 9.3 PPG, 4.9 RPG), Carr (19.3 MPG, 7.1 PPG, 2.6 APG), Josh Brodowicz and Jonathan Horodyski. Diankulu is the only returning starter, while Carr (2) and Willett (1) both started at least one game last season. Diankulu, Carr, and Willett all saw time in all 36 contests.

-Willett and Carr were named preseason second-team all-conference selections, as voted by the League's coaches.

-The Royals added 10 newcomers to its quintet of returners for the 2018-2019 season. The class includes Division I transfer Jachai Taylor from Murray State University, Division II transfer Blake Morrow (12.7 PPG) from Eckerd College, junior college transfers Brandon Faison, Armoni Lee, Van Turner Jr, and Kevion Blaylock, and freshmen Jamari Smith, Jermaine Patterson, Kenny Dye, and Chris Parks. Both Smith and Patterson were named their respective states' Players of the Year in high school.

-Head Coach Bart Lundy is in his sixth season since returning to Queens and his 11^th overall at the helm in Charlotte. In 17 years as a head coach in Division I and II, Lundy has posted an overall record of 330-169 (.661 win pct.) and a record at Queens of 234-82 (.741 win pct.). Lundy has led Queens to all three of its Elite Eight appearances.

Young Harris Mountain Lions (0-1)

-Young Harris opened with a loss to Lenoir-Rhyne on Friday night, 101-72. The Mountain Lions fell behind 14-0 at the start, trailed by as many as 35 in the first half, and trailed 57-31 at halftime. Brian Harper and J.J. Flores each scored 14 points, while Justin Jones and Zion Williams added 12 apiece.

-The Mountain Lions finished last season 8-20 overall (7-15 PBC), and missed the conference tournament with an 11^th-place finish in the standings. This season Young Harris was picked 12^th out of 12 teams in the Peach Belt Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll.

-Young Harris is led by head coach Jeremy Currier who is in his first season with the program after spending eight years as the head coach at Pfeiffer. He sports an overall coaching record of 113-130 (.467 win pct.).

-The team returns leading scorer Nicksen Blanc (14.8 PPG), who spent three seasons at Lincoln Memorial before transferring to Young Harris before the start of the 2017-2018 season.