CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team (14-8 overall, 4-5 ASUN) will look to build upon an impressive win on Thursday night when they welcome the Stetson Hatters (11-9 overall, 6-3 ASUN) to Curry Arena for a Saturday afternoon meeting. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:00 PM EST and the game will be broadcasted on ESPN Plus. Saturday afternoon's contest will also be a part of the NABC Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers game.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Royals are coming off a thrilling comeback victory over the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles on Thursday night. Queens used a strong second-half performance outscoring the Eagles 52-45 to come back and earn the victory. AJ McKee dropped a game-high 23 points while pulling down four rebounds and kicking out a pair of assists. BJ McLaurin was huge in his sixth start of the season as he scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Kalib Mathews dominated both sides of the ball matching his season-high in scoring with 16 points while also swiping four steals.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
Saturday afternoon will mark the first overall meeting with the Royals and the Hatters. Across the ASUN, teams are dominating their opponents at home as they hold a combined 103-27 record. However, the league has struggled collectively on the road going 46-106 through games on January 26^th.
 
Game Notes
QUEENS UNIVERSITY OF CHARLOTTE (14-8 overall; 4-5 ASUN)

• Queens enters Thursday night averaging 81.4 points per game on 46 percent shooting from the field and 37 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 75.4 points per game on 46 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent from behind the arc.
• Queens is 7-2 at home this season and 226-63 inside Curry Arena in the last seven years.
• The ASUN leads all NCAA Conferences in three-point attempts this season with a combined 7,538 attempts. The Royals are averaging 27.6 three-pointers per game which is the second most in the league. Queens is sinking an average of 11.4 three-pointers per game against ASUN opponents.
• In the last two seasons, Queens is 33-3 when hitting the 80-point threshold. The Royals managed to rattle off 30 straight wins when reaching 80 points.
• Kenny Dye is the leader of the veteran Royals squad as the senior is averaging a team-high 17.0 points per game while hauling in 4.0 boards and dishing out 5.2 assists per game. The Royals are 109-28 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 35 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 22 games. McKee remains the only player in the league to reach double figures in every game. The sophomore is averaging 18.9 points per game against league opponents which is fourth-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 averaging 9.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game across 20.0 minutes. McLaurin leads the ASUN in three-point field goal percentage at 51.0 percent as he has buried a three in nine of the last 10 games.
• Sharpshooter Chris Ashby has caught fire in league play from behind the arc as the sophomore is averaging 9.5 points per game against ASUN opponents. Ashby has reached double figures in four of his last six games and buried three or more three-pointers in that span.
• Kalib Mathews has been a force on defense for Queens as he leads the team in steals (32) and blocks (16). The 1.5 steals per game is top 10 in the league. The Franklinton native is coming off a four-steal performance against the Eagles.
• The Royals are 40-7 in the last two seasons when outrebounding their opponent. This year, Queens is second in the ASUN in rebounds per game with 39.1 and second in the league in offensive boards per game with 12.4. Queens has posted double-digit offensive rebounds in 17 games this season, including seven of their last nine games.

 
STETSON UNIVERSITY (11-9 overall; 6-3 ASUN)

• Stetson enters Saturday afternoon 11-9 overall and 6-3 in league play. The Hatters are 1-3 in their last four games and coming off a 74-45 loss at Liberty on Thursday night.
• The Hatters opened ASUN play 5-0 with victories over Lipscomb, North Florida, Jacksonville, North Alabama, and Bellarmine.
• Stetson is averaging 75.2 points per game on 46 percent shooting from the field and 38 percent from behind the arc. The Hatters outside shooting are one of the best in the country as they are burying the 8^th most three-pointers per game and hold the 13th-best three-point percentage.
• The visiting Hatters display one of the best benches in the ASUN as they rank first in bench points with 29.90.
• On defense, Stetson is surrendering 72.3 points per game on 45 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent shooting from behind the arc. The Hatters are being outrebounded by opponents so far this season by 0.7 boards per game.
• Stetson is led by Jalen Blackmon who is averaging 13.3 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. The two-time ASUN Newcomer of the Week is coming off a week in which he averaged 23.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.
• Josh Smith is an all-around performer for the Hatters as he is averaging 10.4 points and 6.3 boards per game while leading the team in blocks with 19. The 1.0 block per game is top five in the league.
• Last season, Stetson finished 11-19 overall and 5-11 in league play. The Hatters fell in the opening round of the ASUN Tournament last season at Central Arkansas 74-73.
• Donnie Jones is in his fourth season at the helm of the Hatters and holds a 50-60 overall record. Jones' is in his 13^th year as a head coach after three seasons at Marshall and six seasons at UCF.

 
Fans and families can purchase their tickets for Saturday afternoons game by visiting the Queens Athletics website. The game will tip off 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.