CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team (6-2) return to Curry Arena on Saturday afternoon with a non-conference battle against Paine College (2-4). Tipoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. and Royals fans are encouraged to wear pajamas for the Winter Wonderland PJ Party.

LAST TIME OUT
The Royals picked up their first true road victory of the season as they took down Bowling Green State University on Tuesday night inside the Stroh Center. Kenny Dye led the charge with 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field across a season-high 37 minutes. AJ McKee reached double figures for the eighth straight game pouring in 11 points while matching his season-high grabbing seven rebounds. Queens shot 60-percent from three-point range in the first half which marked a season-high.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Saturday afternoon marks the first meeting between Queens and Paine. Royals head coach Grant Leonard will face his former team after spending two seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator with the Lions from 2011-2013.

Game Notes
QUEENS UNIVERSITY OF CHARLOTTE (6-2 overall; 0-0 ASUN)

• Queens enters Tuesday afternoon averaging 80.1 points per game on 48-percent shooting from the field and 34-percent from behind the arc. In the last two seasons, Queens is 27-0 when they reached the 80-point threshold.
• The Royals defense is allowing 69.8 points per game on 42-percent shooting from the field and 29-percent from behind the arc.
• Queens has put together a winning record of .500 or higher through eight games for the last eight seasons dating back to the 2014-15 season.
• Senior Kenny Dye is the leader of the veteran Royals squad. Dye is averaging a team-high 17.6 points per game while hauling in 4.1 boards and dishing out 4.5 assists per game. The Royals are 101-22 when Dye is in the starting lineup. Across the ASUN, Dye is top five in points per game and second in assists per game.
• Junior Gavin Rains has been a force on the block for the Royals to open the season. The Trinity, N.C. native is averaging 7.9 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. The forward leads the ASUN in rebounds per game and sits second in field goal percentage. Rains has been a double-double machine producing 17 double-doubles in his career, and three this season.
• AJ McKee has been a consistent producer this season reaching double figures in all eight games. McKee posted a career-high 16 points against Lynchburg as he sits second on the team in scoring and minutes per game.
• BJ McLaurin has been a weapon for the Royals this season averaging 8.3 points and 5.4 rebounds across 20.0 minutes per game. The Fayetteville native turned in season-high 16 points draining a career-best four three pointers in the loss at George Mason.
• Sophomore Kalib Mathews has started three straight games for the Royals and is averaging 8.6 points and 3.3 rebounds across 26.8 minutes of action. Mathews has been a menace on defense leading the team with 13 steals and six blocked shots. The guard ranks seventh in the league in steals per game.
• The Royals are outrebounding opponents this season 332-258. Through eight games, Queens is third in the ASUN in rebounds per game with 41.5 and second in the league in offensive boards per game with 13.5.

 
PAINE COLLEGE LIONS (2-4 overall; 0-0 NCCAA)

• Paine enters Saturday afternoon with a 2-4 overall record with a game scheduled for Friday night against the University of Fort Lauderdale. Ahead of that game, the Lions have lost three straight games after opening the season 2-1.
• Paine is averaging 69.3 points per game on 41-percent shooting from the field and 25-percent from the field. The Lions defense is surrendering 72.2 points per game as opponents are shooting 38-percent from the field.
• Four Lions are averaging 14.0 points or more while five are averaging 5.0 or more rebounds.
• Quinnton Jackson leads the Lions in minutes per game with 36.3 while scoring 17.7 points and grabbing 5.0 rebounds per outing. The sophomore guard dropped 30 points on 12-of-20 shooting from the field.
• Jakobe Williams is averaging 15.3 points per game and 3.5 assists per game across 33.7 minutes per game. The sophomore guard has reached double figures in five games, including a season-high 21 points against Toccoa Falls in the season opener.
• Last season, Paine posted a 10-10 overall record.
• Melvin "Kerby" Marshall returns for his seventh season at the helm of the Lions and holds a 42-122 career record.

 
Fans and families can purchase their tickets for Saturday afternoon's game by visiting the Queens Athletics website. The game will tipoff at 1:05 from Curry Arena and the broadcast will begin at 1:00 p.m. on ESPN Plus.

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.