JACKSONVILLE, FLA. – The Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team (13-8 overall, 3-5 ASUN) is set to welcome Florida Gulf Coast University (14-7 overall, 4-4 ASUN) to Curry Arena on Thursday night for a pivotal ASUN showdown. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM EST and the game will be broadcasted on ESPN Plus.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Royals are coming off a 77-70 loss at Jacksonville on Saturday afternoon. Queens suffered their first loss this season, and second in the last two seasons after leading at the break. The evening was decided on the glass as the Dolphins outrebounded Queens 35-29 despite the Royals controlling the boards in the first half 17-12. Kenny Dye led the scoring with a game-high 22 points while burying 4-of-6 shots from behind the arc. AJ McKee and Chris Ashby both added 11 points while Quan McCluney and BJ McLaurin combined for 15 points off the bench.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
Thursday night will mark the first overall meeting with the Royals and the Eagles. Across the ASUN, teams are dominating their opponents at home as they hold a combined 96-27 record. However, the league has struggled collectively on the road going 46-99 through games on January 21^st.
 
Game Notes
QUEENS UNIVERSITY OF CHARLOTTE (13-8 overall; 3-5 ASUN)

• Queens enters Thursday night averaging 81.2 points per game on 46 percent shooting from the field and 36 percent from behind the arc. The Royals rank first in the ASUN and first amongst provisional schools in scoring offense.
• On defense, the Royals are allowing 75.1 points per game on 45 percent shooting from the field and 34 percent from behind the arc.
• Queens is 6-2 at home this season and 225-63 inside Curry Arena in the last seven years.
• The ASUN leads all NCAA Conferences in three-point attempts this season with a combined 7,181 attempts. The Royals are averaging 27.5 three-pointers per game which is the second most in the league. Queens is sinking an average of 11.3 three-pointers per game against ASUN opponents.
• The deep ball has also bit the Royals hard on defense in ASUN play as opponents are averaging 9.0 made threes per game. Eastern Kentucky, Central Arkansas, and North Florida all made 10 or more shots from behind the arc in their meeting with Queens.
• Kenny Dye is the leader of the veteran Royals squad as the senior is averaging a team-high 17.1 points per game while hauling in 4.0 boards and dishing out 5.1 assists per game. The Royals are 108-28 when Dye is in the starting lineup as he is top three in points per game and first in assists per game in the league. Dye is 43 assists away from tying the program record which was set by Donay Fullwood in 1991-95.
• AJ McKee has been a consistent producer this season reaching double figures in all 21 games. McKee remains the only player in the league to reach double figures in every game. The sophomore is averaging 18.4 points per game against league opponents which is third-best in the ASUN.
• Junior Gavin Rains has been a force on the block for the Royals. The Trinity, N.C. native is averaging 6.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. The forward leads the ASUN in rebounds per game and is top 15 in the country.
• BJ McLaurin has been a weapon for the Royals off the bench averaging 9.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game across 19.7 minutes. McLaurin leads the ASUN in three-point field goal percentage at 52.3 percent as he has buried a three in eight of the last nine games.
• Sharpshooter Chris Ashby has caught fire in league play from behind the arc as the sophomore is averaging 10.4 points per game against ASUN opponents. Ashby has reached double figures in four of his last five games and buried three or more three-pointers in that span.
• The Royals are 39-7 in the last two seasons when outrebounding their opponent. This year, Queens is second in the ASUN in rebounds per game with 39.2 and second in the league in offensive boards per game with 12.3. Queens has posted double-digit offensive rebounds in 16 games this season, including six of their last eight games.

 
FLORIDA GULF COAST UNIVERSITY (14-7 overall; 4-4 ASUN)

• FGCU enters Thursday night 14-7 overall and 4-4 in league play. The Eagles are 1-3 in their last four games and have dropped their last three road tests.  
• The Eagles played a quality non-conference schedule which saw them pick up road victories at USC and St. Bonaventure. FGCU squared off against #17 Tennessee in Knoxville as well.
• FGCU is averaging 70.2 points per game on 42 percent shooting and 34 percent from behind the arc. The Eagles take the 26^th most three-pointers in the country at 26.1 per game. FGCU also gets to the foul line frequently and makes the second most free throws per game in the league.
• On defense, the Eagles are surrendering 66.7 points per game on 41 percent shooting from the field and 32 percent from behind the arc.
• The Eagles are led by junior Zach Anderson who is averaging 12.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game this season. Anderson is a two-time ASUN Player of the Week recipient this season as he leads the conference in career double-doubles with 86.
• ASUN Preseason All-Conference selection Chase Johnston has been a weapon off the bench for the Eagles. The junior is averaging 11.6 points and 2.6 boards per game as he garnered ASUN Player of the Week praise in the first week. Johnston is top 10 in the ASUN in steals (3^rd), field goal attempts (8^th), and three-point attempts (5^th).
• Last season, FGCU finished 22-12 overall and 10-6 in league play. The Eagles fell to the reigning ASUN Tournament Champions from Bellarmine in the ASUN Tournament Semifinals. FGCU played in The Basketball Classic and took down Detroit Mercy 95-79 before falling to Coastal Carolina 84-68.
• Patrick Chambers enters his 1^st season at the helm of the Eagles after nine seasons at Penn State. In his career, Chambers holds a 204-185 career record.

 
Fans and families can purchase their tickets for Thursday nights's game by visiting the Queens Athletics website. The game will tipoff at 7:00 PM from Curry Arena 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.