CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The No. 12/14 Queens University of Charlotte (11-2, 7-2 SAC) men's basketball team returns to Curry Arena on Wednesday to start 2022 with a showdown against in-state rival, Lenoir-Rhyne, at 7:30 p.m.  The Royals come into Wednesday having closed out 2021 with a four-game win streak, their second longest of the season after winning eight-straight games to start the season.  Covid-19 has reared it's ugly head in the South Atlantic Conference so the Royals will not head to Limestone on Saturday as originally scheduled as that game has been postponed.

Wednesday night marks the 29th meeting between the Royals and Bears with Queens holding a 19-9 advantage all time.  The conference foes matched up three times last season with the Royals taking the first and last meetings. In the first matchup on Jan. 2, 11 Royals found the bottom of the net as they dropped the Bears in Charlotte, 88-68. The last meeting was the SAC Pilot Flying J Semifinals and the Royals advanced behind a 53.2-percent shooting mark and winning the rebound margin 50-29. Jamari Smith scored 20 points and Gavin Rains collected his sixth double-double of the year with 11 points and 12 rebounds.  The longest winning streak in the series is held by Queens as the Royals rattled six straight between Jan. 11, 2017 and No. 28, 2018.  Queens has won their last four contests with the Bears inside Curry Arena dating back to Jan. 30, 2019, and are 11-4 all-time in Charlotte.


Quick Facts (Game Notes)
Queens University of Charlotte (11-2, 7-2 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 all 11 of their wins this season and are a perfect 10-0 when leading at halftime.
• The Royals checked in at No. 14 in the D2SIDA National Media Poll and No. 16 in the NABC National Poll as well as No. 1 in the D2SIDA Regional Poll.
• Queens is a perfect 9-0 this season when leading at the half and 11-0 when dropping at least 80 points.
• Following a dominant season last year, Jamari Smith has returned to the Royals lineup and leads the team in scoring with 15.8 points per game while hauling in 5.0 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 No. 16 in the nation in assists per game with 5.8 while also adding 15.1 points per game.
• Crashing the glass continues to be a priority for Bart Lundy's team as they are fourth in the country with 15.54 offensive rebounds per game. Gavin Rains has been physical on the block pulling down 8.3 rebounds per contest, including a league-best 3.9 offensive boards.  Rains won the South Atlantic Conference Player of the Week for the week of December 28 for his double-double against Johnson & Wales University, scoring 19 points and wrestling down 12 rebounds.
• The Royals are No. 14 in the nation in scoring offense averaging 87.2 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 continues to display 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 1,000-point mark.

 
Lenoir Rhyne (3-9, 2-7 SAC)

• The Bears come into Wednesday on a seven-game losing streak, their longest losing streak since the 2014-15 season.  Four of their last five losses have come by single digits, including a 76-67 loss to #17 Lincoln Memorial on Saturday.  Lenoir Rhyne lost to Newberry College by a point, to Anderson University by three, and by just two points in an overtime thriller with Catawba.  A loss on Wednesday night would give Lenoir Rhyne their longest losing streak since the 2010-11 season when they lost 14-straight games.
• The Bears have just one true road win on the season when they took down Coker on the right by a final of 67-64, which was the last win before this losing streak.
• Lenoir Rhyne is allowing teams to shoot 47.9-percent from the floor and 36.6-percent from beyond the arc this season, while shooting 43.4-percent from the field and 31.5-percent from downtown themselves.
• The Bears force 14.1 turnovers per game as they average 7.2 steals per contest this season.  Unfortunately for Lenoir Rhyne, they are being out-rebounded by almost 10 rebounds per game this season.
• The Bears are led by redshirt-sophomore guard, Jalen Johnson, who averages 13.6 points per game, while leading the team in made three's (29), free-throw percentage (88.9), assists (53) and steals (20).  Johnson is also second on the team with 3.2 rebounds per game this season.  Lenoir Rhyne has two over guys averaging double figures this season with a pair of transfers, Kevin Kangu from Oakland University and TJ Nesmith from Cape Fear Communnity College, scoring 11.3 and 10.4, respectively.  Nesmith also ranks fourth in the South Atlantic Conference in field goal percentage, shooting at 64.0-percent clip on the year and is averaging 16.0 points per game over his last five games.  

The Queens University of Charlotte Department of Athletics has announced updates to its fan attendance policy for upcoming home athletic events due to the current rise in COVID-19 cases locally, statewide, and nationally. For the immediate future, Queens Athletics events will not be open to the general public.  Only individuals whose names are on the player/guest pass list will be admitted. Guest from visiting teams should work through their respective institutions to ensure that they are able to attend.  Additionally, social distancing and face coverings are required at all times.  Gates will open 30 minutes prior to the start of the scheduled event.  No tailgating is allowed on the premises.  This new policy will go into effect on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022.
 
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.