RICHMOND, Va. – The Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team will look to build upon their statement victory over FDU when they travel north to the University of Richmond for a non-conference showdown. The Royals and Spiders will clash on Saturday, November 25^th at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN Plus.
 
GAMEDAY GUIDE
Dates: November 25, 2023
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Robins Center (Richmond, Va.)
Watch
Live Stats
Queens Game Notes
Tickets
 
THE MATCHUP
Saturday night will mark the first meeting between the Royals and the Spiders. Since joining the Division 1 ranks, Queens is 0-2 against Atlantic 10 competition after falling at La Salle (72-60) and George Mason (72-65) last season.
 
SCOUTING THE ROYALS (3-3 overall, 0-0 ASUN)

• Queens is coming off a convincing 97-84 victory over the reigning Cinderella story in FDU. Four different Royals reached double figures as AJ McKee led the way with a game-high and season-high 26 points. Junior Deyton Albury added 21 points, including an 8-for-10 clip from the charity stripe. Queens outrebounded FDU 40-36 and improved to 11-2 in Division 1 non-conference games when winning the battle on the boards.
• The Royals explosive offense against the Knights produced 97 points, a mark that they haven't hit since January 14, 2023, against North Alabama. Queens improved to 35-5 over the last two seasons when reaching the 80-point threshold.
• This season has been a slower shooting start from the field for the Royals as they are connecting on 40 percent of their shots. Through the first six games last season, the Royals were connecting on 49 percent of their opportunities.
• Preseason All-Conference recipient AJ McKee anchors the Royals offense and is averaging 19.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. The Charlotte native sits second in the league in scoring and top 20 in assists. McKee is coming off a season-high 26 points against the Knights.
• Junior guard Deyton Albury has put together a solid start to his first campaign in the Queen City. The Nassau, Bahamas native turned in a career-high 21 points against FDU while also pulling down four rebounds and dishing out five assists. On the year, Albury is second on the team in scoring averaging 15.2 points per game, and second on the team in rebounds averaging 6.0 boards per game. In the ASUN, the guard is top 10 in assists and top 20 in rebounding and scoring.
• Senior BJ McLaurin is finding his rhythm lately averaging 12.0 points and 7.7 rebounds per game last week. Against High Point, McLaurin notched his 1,000^th career point and then followed it up with a career-high 12 rebounds against Fairfield in the opener at the Market Street Challenge.
• Queens is not afraid to shoot their shot from behind the arc as they averaged the fourth most three-pointers per game last season, and currently sit sixth in the league this season. Three-point specialist Chris Ashby went 5-for-14 from behind the arc at Marshall across 33 minutes of action.
• Winning the battle on the boards is a part of the Royals basketball culture. In Division 1, Queens is 18-6 when outrebounding their opponent and 3-11 when losing the battle on the glass. This season, Queens is seventh in rebounds per game, a category which they were second in last season.
• The Royals are one of the nation's most efficient teams at getting to the free-throw line. Deyton Albury, AJ McKee, and BJ McLaurin sit top 20 in the league in free throw percentage. Queens is 13-5 in non-conference Division 1 games in which they attempt more free throws than their opponent.

 
SCOUTING THE SPIDERS (3-2 overall, 0-0 A10 Conference)

• Richmond enters Saturday night 3-2 overall and coming off a 1-1 week at the Sunshine Slam MTE in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Spiders battled #18 Colorado to the wire before falling 64-59 and capped off the week with an 82-65 victory over UNLV.
• The Spiders return to the Robins Center where they are 43-14 over the last five seasons. Richmond is 2-0 this year at home with victories over VMI and Siena.
• Richmond runs a methodical offense which has generated quality looks and the Spiders have connected on 50 percent of those opportunities, a mark that is top 40 in the country. Behind the arc, the Royals are burying 39 percent of their opportunities which is 38^th best in the country.
• ETSU transfer Jordan King leads the Spiders in scoring as he averages 19.6 points per game at a 52 percent mark. The guard poured in 34 points in the victory over VMI to open the season. Last year in the Royals meeting with ETSU, King packed the stat sheet with 16 points, five rebounds, and four assists.
• Senior Neal Quinn is a player to watch for the Spiders as the 7-0 center is averaging 12.8 points and a team-high 6.4 rebounds per game. Quinn is coming off a 20-point, seven rebounds, five assists, and four block performance against UNLV.
• The Spiders were picked to finish 11^th in the Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll after going 15-18 overall and 7-11 in A10 play last season.
• Head Coach Chris Mooney enters his 19^th season at the helm of the Spiders program. Under his direction, Richmond is 328-260 and has captured two A10 Tournament titles while making three NCAA Tournament appearances. Mooney is the winningest coach in Richmond history.

 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Royals will return to the Queen City and begin a lengthy home stand as four of the next five games will be played inside Curry Arena. Queens will welcome in-state foe Gardner-Webb on Wednesday, November 29^th at 7:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN Plus and fans can purchase their tickets in advance by visiting the Queens Athletics website.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Be sure to follow the Royals on Twitter, Instagram, and Tik Tok. Fans are also encouraged to follow Queens Athletics on social media to stay up to date on all the Royals sports in action.