CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The No. 9/16 Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team will return to Curry Arena on Saturday seeking to avenge a devastating 67-65 loss at Newberry on Wednesday when they welcome Coker University (2-7, 2-4 SAC) for a conference clash at 4:00 p.m. The Royals will look to get back in the win column after dropping their first road game this season on a last second shot. Following the contest on Saturday, Queens will hit the road on Wednesday for a matchup at Wingate before they welcome conference foe No. 11 Lincoln Memorial on Saturday, Dec. 18 at 4:00.

Saturday evening marks the 54^th all-time meeting between Queens and Coker, with the Royals holding a 45-8 series lead. This matchup has been controlled by Queens dating back to 2015, as the Royals have won 13-straight vs. the Cobras. The current streak is not the longest, however, as the Royals rattled off 17-straight between Jan. 13, 2001 and Feb. 23, 2008. The last time Queens fell at home to Coker was a 70-61 loss on Feb. 20, 2010. The two squared off twice last season in a home-and-home series with Queens winning 73-63 and 75-56. The Royals were led by Gavin Rains as the forward posted a double-double in both games. Rains recorded 11 points and 16 rebounds in the first matchup before dropping 11 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the second meeting.

Quick Facts (Game Notes)
Queens University of Charlotte (7-1, 4-1 South Atlantic Conference)

• In the season opener against Young Harris, the Royals set a new program record with 133 points scored as eight Royals finished with double figures.
• Head Coach Bart Lundy picked up his 400^th career victory in the dominant season opener. Lundy is in his 14^th season at Queens and 20^th season overall as a collegiate head coach.
• Queens has scored 80 or more points in six of their first eights games of the season and is No. 2 in the nation in offensive rebounds per game with over 16 a contest. Jamari Smith leads the team in scoring with 14.9 points per game, shooting just under 50-percent from the floor to go along with 53-percent from beyond the arc. Kenny Dye facilitates the offense with six assists per game to go along with his 14.6 points and 4.4 rebounds.  
• The Royals continue to display their depth as eight guys are averaging at least 15.0 minutes per game and five with over 20 minutes per game.  Those five guys account for 55 points of their 87.3 per game average. 
• Queens has been efficient shooting the deep ball ranking No. 18 in the country in three-point field goal percentage. Jamari Smith and Kenny Dye sit in the top five in the the South Atlantic Conference cashing in on 53-percent and 48-percent of their shots from behind the arc respectively.
• Queens checked into recent national rankings coming in at No. 9 in the NABC Week Three Media Poll, No. 16 in the D2SIDA Week Four Poll, and No. 3 in the Southeast Region.
• Returning their top six scorers and top five rebounders, Queens was picked to finish atop the South Atlantic Conference's Preseason Poll, as voted on by the League's coaches. The Royals received over half the first-place votes and 150 total votes as the preseason favorites.
• Kenny Dye and Jamari Smith were each named to the SAC's First-Team Preseason All-Conference Team and Gavin Rains earned Second-Team honors.

 
Coker (2-7, 2-4 SAC)

• After dropping their first three contests of the new season, Coker managed to open South Atlantic Conference play in convincing fashion with a 102-82 win against Mars Hill. The Cobras would drop their next three games before taking care of UVA Wise, 80-71. On Wednesday, Coker used a second half rally to come back at Anderson before falling short 67-66. The Cobras enter Saturday's matchup seeking their first road win of the young season.
• Coker has scored an average of 74.8 points per game on 47-percent shooting from the floor and 38-percent from behind the arc. The Wolves are averaging 32 rebounds per game on the season and have forced 15 turnovers on average, including 7.9 steals per game. Opponents have been able to find a rhythm against the Cobras early in the season as they are shooting 49-percent from the field and 35-percent from deep and averaging 78.7 points per game.
• Coker has five players averaging 20 minutes per game and three players are averaging double digit scoring. Chandler Lindsay leads the team in scoring with 15.0 points per game while also hauling in 4.7 rebounds per game and dishing out 5.2 assists per game. Malcolm Kennedy is dropping 14.2 points per game on 46-percent shooting from the field.
• Head Coach Jarred Merrill is in his third season as the Cobras head coach and holds a 13-34 record since taking over in 2019. 
• Newberry was picked to finish tenth in the conference following a 4-12 overall season, and 4-11 mark in SAC play last year.

Fans can tune in to the game tomorrow afternoon on the Queens Sports Network starting at 4:00 p.m. Be sure to follow the Royals men's basketball program on Twitter and Instagram to stay up to date on all the latest news and updates surrounding the team. Fans are also encouraged to follow Queens Athletics on social media @QueensAthletics to follow all of the Royals sports in action.