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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The fifth-ranked Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team begins postseason play on Wednesday night versus Lenoir-Rhyne University in the South Atlantic Conference Quarterfinals. Opening tipoff from the Levine Center is scheduled for 7 p.m.

The Royals will host the first-round game by virtue of finishing in second place in the league standings during the regular season, two games back of top-ranked Lincoln Memorial University. Lenoir-Rhyne finished in a tie for fifth and fell to the seven seed due to a tiebreaker.

The Royals lead the all-time series with the Bears, 12-5, and swept the season series, winning 70-63 on Jan. 18, at the Levine Center, and 75-55, a week ago in Hickory. Queens has won four in a row against LR.

The winner on Wednesday will advance to take on the winner of No. 3 Carson-Newman University and No. 6 Newberry College, in the SAC semifinals on Saturday, March 4, at Timmons Arena on the campus of Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina.

Admission to Wednesday night's game is free for Queens students. Tickets are $8 for adults, and $4 for Youth (12 and under), Seniors 60 and active/retired Military personnel.

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

No. 5/5 Queens Royals (26-2, 18-2 SAC)
(Game Notes)

-Queens most recently snapped a ten-game winning streak with a loss to No. 1 Lincoln Memorial, 80-65, on Saturday, in a matchup of the nation's No. 1 and No. 2-ranked teams. Queens trailed by 19 points in the first half, before rallying to cut the margin to two-possessions twice in the second half. The 19-point deficit was the largest the Royals have faced in a game since trailing by 32 to LMU in the second round of 2016 NCAA Tournament, the final game of the 2015-2016 season (63 games ago).

Ike Agusi led Queens with 20 points, tying a career-high for the second time this year and pacing three Royals in double figures. Shaun Willett scored 15 points and Daniel Carr scored 10. Queens was held to 65 points, its lowest total in a game since scoring 64 in a 13-point win over Tarleton State University on Dec. 30.

-The Royals failed to move the ball efficiently on Saturday compiling eight assists as a team, tying a season low (8, vs. Wingate Jan. 3). Previously Queens averaged 20.5 team assists during the ten-game winning streak and had totaled more than 20 assists in a game in five straight, and six of the last seven.

-Despite the loss in Saturday's regular-season finale, the 2017-2018 team posted the best regular-season record in program history going 26-2 (.928 win pct.). The previous best mark was set by the 2002-2003 team that finished with a 29-4 overall record, and a 24-2 record in the regular season (.923 win pct.).

-The Royals only two losses this season came versus the current No. 1-ranked team Lincoln Memorial. In the first meeting on Jan. 13, then-No. 1 Queens fell 73-72, 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.

-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 is currently ranked No. 5 in the coaches' poll, its lowest ranking of the season, and No. 5 in the D2SIDA media poll. The Royals are also ranked No. 2 in the Southeast Region behind only LMU.

-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 44th 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 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.

-On the season Queens is shooting 50.4 percent from the floor which ranks No. 6 nationally, and No. 3 in the SAC. The Royals score 84.1 points per game on average which is ranked No. 35 in the country and No. 4 in the league.

-The Royals are ranked No. 2 in the SAC, and No. 40 in Division II, in scoring defense, allowing 69.0 points per game. Queens has held 23 of its 28 opponents under their season scoring average.

-Queens has held its opponent to 70 points or less 15 times in 28 games, and 60 points or less six times, including keeping LR to 55 points last Wednesday night. Only four opponents all season have scored more than 80 points in a game against Queens (Carson-Newman, Catawba, Newberry, Lincoln Memorial).

-The Royals are holding opponents to 41.0-percent shooting (No. 18 NCAA, No. 2 SAC), and are out-rebounding opponents by 7.7 rebounds per game (No. 16 NCAA, No. 2 SAC).

-Queens is led by Withers who is averaging a team-high 13.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game. Withers is 19^th in the SAC in scoring, third in rebounding, and fifth in blocked shots.

-On Feb. 15, 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).

-With nine rebounds versus Lenoir-Rhyne on Jan. 21, Withers moved into fourth all-time at Queens in career rebounds with 701, passing DeWayne Ansley, who secured 700 rebounds in his career from 1991-1993 and 1994-1996. Withers currently has recorded 708 career boards and is 53 rebounds away from tying for third all-time (Carlos Andrade, 761, 1999-2003).

-With 16 points versus Lenoir-Rhyne on Jan. 21, Withers moved into 10th all-time at Queens in career scoring with 1,244 points. He currently has scored 1,248 points and is 18 points away from tying for ninth on the scoring list (1,266, DeWayne Ansley).

-With 19 points versus Mars Hill on Jan. 17, Davis reached the 1,600-point mark for his career. He has currently scored 1,627 career points, the first 811 came in his first two collegiate seasons at Francis Marion University, with the following 816 coming since transferring to Queens prior to his junior year.

-As one of the most efficient offensive teams in the country, Queens features two of the league's top six in shooting percentage. Lewis Diankulu ranks fourth at 68,4-percent shooting, and Shaun Willett ranks fifth at 60.7 percent.

-The Royals feature a balanced attack with four of five starters averaging double figures (Withers 13.6 PPG, Davis 12.9 PPG, Agusi 11.7 PPG, and Alexander 11.1 PPG). Queens has featured seven different leading scorers in a game this season (Withers, Davis, Alexander, Diankulu, Agusi, Willett, Josh Van Weezep).
 
Lenoir-Rhyne Bears (11-15, 9-11 SAC)

-Lenoir-Rhyne enters the postseason off of a bye on the final day of the regular season. LR most recently played on Wednesday, Feb. 21, in its 75-55, loss to Queens. Branford Rogers led two Bears in double figures with 14 points. Djibril Diallo added 12 points.

-LR is a significantly better team at home than on the road. The Bears are 8-5 at Shuford Gymnasium this season, but 3-9 in road games.

-The Bears tend to play a slower pace offensively, averaging 72.2 points per game (No. 11 SAC, No. 229 NCAA) and 58.7 field goal attempts per (No. 10 SAC).

-LR is led by Diallo in scoring with 15.2 points per game (No. 8 SAC). Bertrand Awana is the team's leading rebounder with 6.6 rebounds per game (No. 7 SAC). Awana also leads the league in blocked shots with 2.1 blocks per game.

-Second-year head coach Everick Sullivan played collegiately at the University of Louisville where he played in three NCAA tournaments. He ranks in the top 15 in four separate statistical categories in the program's history (scoring, assists, 3-point percentage, dunks).