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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Having won six consecutive games, the second-ranked Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team wraps up a week of road contests with a trip to regionally-ranked Carson-Newman University. Opening tipoff from Holt Fieldhouse in Jefferson City, Tennessee, is scheduled for Saturday at 4 p.m.

The Royals lead the all-time series with the Eagles, 8-3, and won the first meeting this season 92-81, on Dec. 12, at the Levine Center, behind 20 points from Lewis Diankulu, and a double-double (18 points and 12 rebounds) from Todd Withers. Queens has won the last five meetings.

Live play-by-play coverage will be available on the Queens Sports Network with Phil Constantino.
 
Quick Facts

No. 2/3 Queens Royals (22-1, 14-1 SAC)
(Game Notes)

-Queens most recently defeated Wingate University on Wednesday night, 88-71, to earn its first road victory over the Bulldogs since Dec. 10, 2005. Leading by 2 points, 49-47, with 13:39 remaining, the Royals went on a 31-8 run, making eight 3-pointers in the second half to seal the victory. Todd Withers led Queens with 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Mike Davis scored 14 points, without missing a shot (5-5 FG, 4-4 3pt), while Jalin Alexander and Shaun Willett also contributed 14 points apiece. Lewis Diankulu tallied 10 points, and Ike Agusi tied a career-high with 11 assists.

As a team, Queens shot 56.3-percent from the field (36-64) and 46.4-percent from the 3-point line (13-28). The Royals also combined for 26 assists on made field goals, a new season-high.

-The Royals have found a new offensive stride over the last five games, averaging 92.4 points per game in that span. Queens averaged 74.3 points per game in its previous three contests (Jan. 6-Jan. 13), a stretch which included the season's only loss. On the season the Royals average 84.2 points per game.

-During the current six-game winning streak, Queens is beating opponents by an average of 18.3 points per game. In the previous three-game stretch, the Royals' scoring margin was 11.3 points per. On the season Queens is out-scoring opponents by an average of 16.3 points per, which ranks No. 8 nationally
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-Since losing on Jan. 13, Queens has not shot less than 47.6 percent from the floor in a game and is shooting 52.8 percent in that span (190-360), including a season-best 61-percent performance versus Coker College on Jan. 31 (36-59). From Jan. 6-Jan.13, Queens shot 47.7 percent, which included a season-worst offensive performance of 39.4-percent (26-66) versus Lincoln Memorial University on Jan. 13.

-The Royals rank 26^th in the nation, and No. 1 in the SAC in scoring defense, allowing 67.9 points per game. Queens has held 20 of its 23 opponents under their season scoring average.

-Queens has held its opponent to 70 points or less 13 times in 23 games. Only two opponents all season have scored more than 80 points in a game against Queens (Carson-Newman, Catawba). Queens has held opponents to 60 points or less four times.

-The Royals are holding opponents to 40.5-percent shooting (No. 14 NCAA, No. 2 SAC), and are out-rebounding opponents by 9.4 rebounds per game (No. 8 NCAA, No. 2 SAC).

-Queens is led by Withers who is averaging a team-high 14.4 points per game and 8.3 rebounds per game. Withers is 17^th in the SAC in scoring and third in rebounding.

-On Jan. 15, Withers was named to the Bevo Francis Award Top 100 Watch List. The Bevo Francis Award is presented annually to the player who had the finest overall season in Small College Basketball (NCAA Divisions II and III, NAIA, USCAA, and NCCAA).

-Withers ranks sixth on the career rebounding list at Queens with 668 and is 23 rebounds away from tying for fifth place (691, Yogi Leo '93-'96). His 1,197 career points, ranks Withers 11^th all-time at Queens in scoring. He is 143 points away from tying for 10th on the scoring list (1,240 points, Adrien Pritchard '96-'99).

-With 18 points versus Catawba on Jan, 24, Mike Davis reached the 1,500-point mark for his career. He has currently scored 1,552 career points, the first 811 came in his first two collegiate seasons at Francis Marion University, with the following 741 coming since transferring to Queens prior to his junior year.

-The Royals feature a balanced attack with four of five starters averaging double figures (Withers 14.4 PPG, Davis 12.4 PPG, Agusi 11.1 PPG, and Alexander 10.5 PPG). Queens has featured seven different leading scorers in a game this season (Withers, Davis, Alexander, Agusi, Diankulu, Willett, Josh Van Weezep).

-The Royals only loss of the season came versus the current No. 1-ranked team, Lincoln Memorial, 73-72, on Jan. 13, in front of a crowd of nearly 1,400 fans at the Levine Center. The Royals squandered a 14-point first half lead, as the loss put an end to a 16-game winning streak that tied program records for both winning streak, and best start to a season.

-Queens currently holds second place in the SAC standings, 1.5 games back of Lincoln Memorial (22-1, 16-0 SAC), and 2.5 games ahead of Carson-Newman in third place (19-4, 11-4 SAC).

-On Jan. 9, Queens reached No. 1 in the NABC/Division II National Rankings for the first time in program history and received 13 of a possible 16 first-place votes. Queens currently ranks No. 2 in the coaches' poll and No. 3 in the D2SIDA media poll for the second consecutive week. The Royals are also ranked No. 2 in the Southeast Region behind only LMU, receiving one of six first-place votes.

-With LMU No. 1, and Queens No. 2, two teams from the same conference make up the top-2 teams in the coaches' poll for the first time since Feb. 23, 2016, when Wheeling Jesuit University and West Liberty University out of the Mountain East Conference ranked No. 1 and 2 respectively.

-Queens was the first ever Charlotte-area men's college basketball program to receive a No. 1 national ranking in its classification.

-Queens is ranked in the coaches' poll for the 41st consecutive week, a streak which began on Nov. 24, 2015, with the first poll of the 2015-2016 season. Queens has cracked the top 10 of the rankings during each of the previous two seasons.

-With a win over Anderson University on Jan. 27, Queens won its 20^th game of the season, giving the Royals a 20 win campaign for the third consecutive year, and the 14^th time in the program's 30-year history. For Bart Lundy, 2017-2018 is his seventh 20-win season as a collegiate head coach in 16 years, and his sixth in 10 years at Queens.

-Over the last three seasons, Queens has opened a combined 44-0 before losing, opening the 2015-2016 season 12-0, and opening the 2016-2017 season 16-0, prior to this season's 16-0 start.

-Queens is the only program in the nation, in all levels of NCAA competition, to have started each of the last three seasons 10-0 or better (More than 1,200 schools).

-With a victory over Tarleton State University on Dec. 30, Queens completed its non-conference schedule unbeaten for the third consecutive season. The Royals last non-conference loss came versus Livingstone, 73-71, on Dec. 3, 2014. Queens has won 24 straight non-conference games including the postseason.
 
NR/No. 24 Carson-Newman Eagles (19-4, 11-4 SAC)
(Game Notes)

-Carson-Newman most recently defeated Lenoir-Rhyne University, 89-79, in overtime last Saturday, Feb. 3, to earn its third consecutive victory. Charles Clark led all scorers with 24 points, while Malik Abraham and Mason Bates each scored 17 points. Shaun Jones recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

-The Eagles are 10-1 at home this season with their only loss coming to LMU, 108-69, on Jan. 17. The loss was the most lopsided at home in Eagles history.

-Carson-Newman is currently receiving votes in the coaches' poll (7) and is the third team on the outside looking in. The Eagles are ranked No. 24 in the media poll, and are also No. 4 in the region behind LMU, Queens, and UNC-Pembroke.

-The Eagles are led by Clark, the conference's reigning Player of the Year. He is averaging 21.3 points per game which ranks him No. 2 in the SAC and No. 35 in the nation.

-Clark is also the conference's reigning Player of the Week, picking up the award for the fourth time this season, and a record 10^th time in his career, for games played Jan. 29-Feb. 4. Last week Clark recorded his fourth career triple-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a win versus Anderson.

-Clark ranks No. 2 all-time in the SAC in scoring. He has compiled 2,178 career points and is the fourth player in conference history to do so.