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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The second-ranked Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team meets Mars Hill University on Saturday in the final home game of the regular season. The Royals will honor seven members of its senior class in the pregame Senior Day ceremonies, Todd Withers, Tate Small, Darryl White, Ike Agusi, Jalin Alexander, Mike Davis, and Josh Van Weezep. Opening tipoff from the Levine Center is scheduled for 4 p.m.

The Royals lead the all-time series with the Lions, 9-5, and won the first meeting this season 93-64, on Jan. 6, on the road, behind 18 points, seven rebounds, three steals and three blocks from Withers. Queens has won five in a row in the series.

The outgoing senior class is one of the most decorated in Queens history. Over the last four years, the Royals have compiled a record of 96-26 (.787 win pct.), including a 30-4 mark in 2016-2017 which set a program record for wins.

The group also helped lead Queens to the South Atlantic Conference regular season and tournament titles last season, the programs first conference regular season title since 2010-2011, and the first conference tournament title since 1998-1999. The season ended in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, the deepest run by the Royals since 2003.

Tickets are $6, and admission is free for Queens students with their school ID.

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

No. 2/3 Queens Royals (24-1, 16-1 SAC)
(Game Notes)

-Queens most recently defeated Newberry College on Wednesday night, 103-95, to earn its eighth consecutive win. In a back-and-forth affair that featured 12 lead changes, Queens made a season-high 19 3-pointers and totaled a season-high 27 assists on 37 made baskets. The Royals eclipsed the 100-point barrier for the third time this season.

Davis led six Royals in double figures with a season-high 25 points on 7-of-14 3-point shooting. Alexander also pitched in a season-high with 23 points. Agusi scored 16 points, Shaun Willett scored 13 points, and Withers added 11 points.

-The Royals have found a new offensive stride during the winning streak, averaging 89.6 points per game in the last eight contests. Queens averaged 74.3 points per game in its previous three outings (Jan. 6-Jan. 13), a stretch which included the season's only loss. On the season the Royals average 84.9 points per game.

-The Royals are also moving the ball more efficiently during the winning streak. Queens is averaging 19.6 team assists per game in the last eight games, after previously averaging 15 per game from Jan. 6-Jan. 13. Queens has set a new season-high for assists in a game in two of its last three outings (26, Feb. 7 at Wingate; 27 Feb. 14 versus Newberry).
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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 52.4 percent in that span (257-490), 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. On the season Queens is shooting 50.7 percent from the floor which ranks No. 9 nationally.

-The Royals rank 38^th nationally and No. 2 in the SAC in scoring defense, allowing 68.9 points per game. Queens has held 21 of its 25 opponents under their season scoring average.

-Queens has held its opponent to 70 points or less 14 times in 25 games. Only three opponents all season have scored more than 80 points in a game against Queens (Carson-Newman, Catawba, and Newberry). Queens has held opponents to 60 points or less four times.

-The Royals are holding opponents to 41-percent shooting (No. 21 NCAA, No. 2 SAC), and are out-rebounding opponents by 8.5 rebounds per game (No. 12 NCAA, No. 2 SAC).

-Queens is led by Withers who is averaging a team-high 14.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game. Withers is 16^th in the SAC in scoring, third in rebounding, and fourth in blocked shots.

-On Thursday, Withers was named to the Bevo Francis Award Top 50 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 687 and is four rebounds away from tying for fifth place (691, Yogi Leo '93-'96). His 1,218 career points, ranks Withers 11^th all-time at Queens in scoring. He is 22 points away from tying for 10th on the scoring list (1,240 points, Adrien Pritchard '96-'99).

-With 18 points versus Catawba College on Jan, 24, Davis reached the 1,500-point mark for his career. He has currently scored 1,591 career points, the first 811 came in his first two collegiate seasons at Francis Marion University, with the following 780 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 14.1 PPG, Davis 13.0 PPG, Agusi 11.3 PPG, and Alexander 11.1 PPG). Queens has featured seven different leading scorers in a game this season (Withers, Davis, Alexander, Agusi, Willett, Van Weezep, Lewis Diankulu).

-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, one game back of Lincoln Memorial (24-1, 17-0 SAC), and four games ahead of Carson-Newman University in third place (20-5, 12-5 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 third 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-two 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. The Royals and Railsplitters will meet again on Feb. 24, in the final game of the regular season, in Harrogate, Tennessee.

-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 42nd 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.
 
Mars Hill Lions (4-21, 1-16 SAC)

-The Lions enter Saturday having most recently lost to Anderson, 75-69, on Wednesday night. Bennett Wilson led Mars Hill with 21 points off of the bench.

-The Lions last victory came two games ago versus Southern Wesleyan University, 72-52, on Monday, Feb. 12, in nonconference action. Previously, MHU had lost four in a row since its only conference win of the season versus Carson-Newman, 78-77, on Jan. 24.

-Mars Hill is led by Wilson who averages 12.5 points per game. Nassyr Daniel leads the team in rebounding and is No. 10 in the SAC, averaging 6.1 rebounds per game.

-Mars Hill allows 88.9 points per game which ranks 298^th nationally and 11^th in the SAC. The Lions also allow opponents to shoot 48.5-percent from the field which ranks 285^th and No. 10 in the league.