CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The No. 16/22 Queens University of Charlotte (15-3, 11-3 SAC) men's basketball team will hit the road for a Monday matinee against South Atlantic Conference foe Limestone (6-9, 4-8 SAC) inside the Timken Center beginning at 7:30 p.m. The Royals are coming off a 2-0 week, including an overtime victory at Tusculum and a dominant 49-point win against Mars Hill. Monday night's conference clash is a rescheduled game from Jan. 8 due to COVID-19 protocols. Following the action at Limestone, the Royals will continue conference play when they welcome Newberry College to Curry Arena for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.
 
Monday night marks the 36^th all-time meeting between Queens and Limestone, with the Royals owning a 25-10 advantage. The two teams will meet for the first time this season on Monday after the Royals swept the Saints in a home-and-home series last year. During the first meeting last year, Queens dropped the Saints 95-80 as three Royals reached 20 points, including a massive 21 point and 16 rebound effort from Jay'Den Turner. In the second matchup, Queens sailed past the Saints 99-70 as Kenny Dye set a new single game program record dishing out 16 assists. The Royals have not lost to Limestone since they suffered a season sweep in the 2012-13 season. Queens and Limestone first matched up on Dec. 9, 1995 as the Royals won the first 14 meetings.

Quick Facts (Game Notes)
Queens University of Charlotte (15-3, 11-3 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.
• The Royals are coming off a 2-0 week, including a statement overtime victory, 88-85 at Tusculum and a dominant 49-point win against Mars Hill. Kenny Dye hit double figures against the Pioneers for the 14^th time this season leading the Royals with 24 points which ties his season-high. Jamari Smith would continue his dominance in both games as the junior recorded his eighth and ninth double-doubles averaging 19 points and 12 rebounds.
• Queens is a perfect 13-0 this season when leading at the half and 14-0 when dropping at least 80 points. When the Royals shoot better than 45-percent, they are 11-0 this year.
• Jamari Smith has returned to the Royals lineup and leads the team in scoring with 16.3 points per game while hauling in 6.5 rebounds per game.
• Queens has been efficient distributing the ball this season as six Royals are averaging at least eight points. Veteran guard Kenny Dye facilitates the offense and is top 25 in the nation in assists per game with 5.4 while also adding 14.8 points per game. Dye posted a 14 point and 10 assist double-double in the win over Anderson on Jan. 12.
• Crashing the glass continues to be a priority for Bart Lundy's team as they are seventh in the country with 14.53 offensive rebounds per game. Gavin Rains has been physical on the block pulling down a league-best 8.1 rebounds per contest, including 3.5 offensive boards.
• The Royals are No. 17 in the nation in scoring offense averaging 86.3 points per game.
• Queens has been efficient shooting the deep ball as Kenny Dye leads the conference draining 54-percent of his three-point opportunities.
• Queens has displayed their depth as nine Royals are averaging at least 13.0 minutes per game.
• Junior guard Kenny Dye notched his 1,000th career point in the 80-72 victory over Wingate on Dec. 15. Dye became the 19th player in program history to hit the 1K mark.
• The Royals opened the new season with a dominant 133-80 victory over Young Harris. The milestone victory was head coach Bart Lundy's 400th career win and the most points scored in program history.
• Jamari Smith and Kenny Dye were both named to the 2022 Bevo Francis Top 100 Watch List, as announced by Small College Basketball on Saturday, Jan. 15. The award is presented to one player who had the finest overall season within Small College Basketball.

 
Limestone University (6-9, 4-8 SAC)

• Limestone enters Monday night's contest on a three-game losing skid, including losses to Lincoln Memorial, Newberry, and Anderson. Limestone's last victory came right before Christmas break as the Saints rattled off a pair of wins against Carson-Newman and Converse. The New Year has not been kind to the Saints as they lost their first two games due to COVID-19 protocols and have proceeded to fall in three consecutive games.
• Limestone has played much better inside the Timken Center as the Saints are 4-3 at home and 1-5 on the road. The Saints enter Monday night averaging 72.3 points per game on 44-percent shooting from the field and 33-percent from behind the arc. On the defensive side of the ball, Limestone is giving up 75.1 points per game on 46-percent shooting from the field and 37-percent from deep. The Saints possess a +2.0 turnover margin as they only commit 13.3 turnovers per outing while forcing 15.3 turnovers.
• The Saints are led offensively by Bryant University transfer Ayo Dada who is averaging 17.4 points per game on 46-percent shooting while adding 3.9 rebounds. Ben Gahlert has been all over the court for the Saints dropping 13.7 points and hauling in a team-high 6.9 rebounds. Richard Nunez is the Saints rim protector as the junior leads the team with 16 total blocks, including 1.1 blocks per game which ranks eighth best in the South Atlantic Conference.
• Limestone possesses a deep squad as eight players are averaging at least 15.0 minutes per game.
• Head Coach Kyle Perry is in his third season as the Saints head coach. Perry has led the Saints to a 12-44 overall record.
• Limestone was picked to finish No. 11 in the SAC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll following a 2-11 season last year.

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.