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Men's Basketball

No. 10/6 Queens Looks to Continue Hot Streak at Mars Hill on Saturday

Royals riding 11-game winning streak, 4th-longest active streak in DII

Live Audio: Queens Sports Network
Phil Constantino (pxp)

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The No. 10/6 Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team (16-2, 8-0 SAC) travels to Mars Hill University (6-8, 1-6 SAC) on Saturday afternoon, looking to add to its 11-game winning streak. Opening tipoff from Chambers Gymnasium in Mars Hill, North Carolina, is scheduled for 4 p.m.

Queens and Mars Hill will meet for the 16th time, with the Royals holding a 10-5 all-time edge. Queens has won each of the last six encounters. The Lions last beat the Royals on Feb. 14, 2015, by a final score of 74-73, at the Levine Center.
 
Quick Facts
No. 10/6 Queens Royals (16-2, 8-0 SAC)
(Game Notes)

-Last time out, trailing by two with 13 seconds left, Kenny Dye hit a 3-pointer from the right wing to put the Royals ahead for good, as No. 10/6 Queens edged No. 24 Catawba College, 87-86, on Wednesday night to take a two-game lead on first place in the South Atlantic Conference standings. Shaun Willett led the Royals with 22 points and 10 rebounds to record his NCAA-leading 15th double-double of the season. Daniel Carr followed with 21 points, Van Turner Jr. scored 13, and Lewis Diankulu scored 11 while grabbing 9 rebounds.

-Wednesday's win stretched the Royals' winning streak to 11 games, giving Queens a winning streak of 11 games or more in each of the last four seasons. The current hot streak is the fourth-longest active winning streak in Division II. Queens last lost a game on Nov. 24, versus Belmont Abbey College, 76-55, at the Levine Center.

-On Tuesday, Queens returned to the top 10 in both national polls, improving three spots to No. 10 in the NABC / Division II Rankings, and three spots to No. 6 in the most recent edition of the D2SIDA Media Poll. The placement in the seventh official coaches' poll of the season, marks the 52nd consecutive week in which Queens has been featured in the poll dating back to Nov. 24, 2015, the first poll of the 2015-2016 season. The Royals have cracked the top-10 nationally in both polls during each of the last four seasons.

-With his 15th double-double on Wednesday versus Catawba, Willett maintained his NCAA lead (more than 1,200 institutions) for double-doubles this season. At the Division II level, Kendrick Colvin of Emmanuel College and Will Vorhees of Notre Dame College are tied for second with 11 double-doubles. In Division I, two players are tied with 12, and in Division III, three players are tied with 13.

-Willett was named AstroTurf SAC Men's Basketball Player of the Week for games played Jan. 7-13, after averaging 25 points, 16 rebounds and one steal across two games. The award was Willett's first Player of the Week selection of his career, and the third time that a Queens player claimed the conference's weekly honor in five weeks.

-Bart Lundy was named HoopDirt.com NCAA Division II Coach of the Week presented by Just Play Solutions for week nine of the college basketball season. Lundy led Queens to a perfect week with SAC wins over Newberry College, on the road, 96-94, on Jan. 9, and versus Carson-Newman University, 81-77, on Jan. 12, at the Levine Center.

-Willett was featured in SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays of the Night, on Jan. 3, 2019, for a dunk that helped Queens to a 102-85 victory over Virginia Union University. The dunk, which was Willett's fourth of the game, was ranked No. 7 by ESPN. Willett became the second Queens player to ever appear in the nightly countdown by ESPN's flagship program. On Nov. 18, 2016, a dunk by Daniel Camps received the No. 9 ranking from ESPN's Top Plays in an 84-69 win over Lees-McRae College.

-Willett currently ranks fourth in the SAC in scoring, averaging 19.0 points per game. He is first in the League in rebounding, and third nationally, with 12.1 rebounds per game.

-Carr is seventh in the SAC in scoring (16.6 PPG), fifth in assists (4.7 APG), and sixth in 3-point field goal percentage (46.6%).

-Diankulu is the League's third-leading rebounder with 7.8 boards per game and ranks sixth in field goal percentage (59.9%).

-Turner is seventh in 3-point shooting (45.4%) and his 64 made 3-pointers ranks him in a three-way tie nationally for most 3-point field goals made this season.

-As a team, Queens is shooting 50.5 percent (No. 12 NCAA, No. 1 SAC) and 40.9 percent from three (No. 14 NCAA, No. 1 SAC).

-Six times this season the Royals have held an opponent under 40-percent shooting, including in four of the last eight games. At no point this season has an opponent shot more than 50 percent from the field against Queens. Six games ago, at Tusculum University on Dec. 16, Queens posted a season-best defensive performance, allowing 62 points and holding the Pioneers to 34.4-percent shooting.

-Head Coach Bart Lundy is in his sixth season since returning to Queens and his 11th 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 344-170 (.669 win pct.) and a record at Queens of 248-83 (.749 win pct.). Lundy has led Queens to all three of its Elite Eight appearances.
 
Mars Hill Lions (6-8, 1-6 SAC)
(Game Notes)

-Mars Hill is 6-8 overall, 1-6 in conference play with its only win over Carson-Newman, 87-74, on Dec. 19.

-The Lions, who were picked last in the preseason coaches' poll, have since lost four-straight games, most recently falling to Lincoln Memorial University, 85-78, on Wednesday night.

-Last season MHU finished 4-24 overall, with a 1-19 conference record.

-The Lions feature the League's leading scorer, Ja'Shawn Brooks, who is averaging 21.2 points per game. Brooks is also the League's fourth-best 3-pointer shooter, connecting on 48.6 percent of 3-point attempts.

-MHU is coached by Vic Finora, who is in his third year as head coach and holds an overall record of 16-53 (.232 win pct.).
 
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Players Mentioned

Daniel Carr

#1 Daniel Carr

PG
6' 0"
Junior
Lewis Diankulu

#5 Lewis Diankulu

C
6' 7"
Redshirt Senior
Shaun  Willett

#3 Shaun Willett

F
6' 4"
Senior
Kenny Dye

#15 Kenny Dye

PG
5' 11"
Freshman
Van Turner Jr.

#22 Van Turner Jr.

G
6' 2"
Redshirt Junior

Players Mentioned

Daniel Carr

#1 Daniel Carr

6' 0"
Junior
PG
Lewis Diankulu

#5 Lewis Diankulu

6' 7"
Redshirt Senior
C
Shaun  Willett

#3 Shaun Willett

6' 4"
Senior
F
Kenny Dye

#15 Kenny Dye

5' 11"
Freshman
PG
Van Turner Jr.

#22 Van Turner Jr.

6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
G
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