NASHVILLE, TENN. – The Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team (15-8 overall, 5-5 ASUN) will look to extend their winning streak on Thursday night when they face Lipscomb University (13-10 overall, 5-5 ASUN) in the Music City. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00 PM EST and the game will be broadcasted on ESPN Plus.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Royals used a strong second-half performance to defeat Stetson for their second consecutive league win. BJ McLaurin was dominant on the block scoring 13 points while grabbing nine rebounds across a career-high 35 minutes of action. AJ McKee finished in double figures for the 23^rd straight game with a 15-point and five-rebound performance. Kenny Dye stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, four rebounds, and four assists as he tied his season-high with 39 minutes played. Queens won the battle on the boards 38-37 after controlling the glass in the second half 22-16.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
Thursday night will mark the first overall meeting between the Royals and the Bisons. Across the ASUN, teams are playing significantly better at home as they hold a combined 109-28 record. On the road, ASUN teams are just 47-112 away from their home court.
 
Game Notes
QUEENS UNIVERSITY OF CHARLOTTE (15-8 overall; 5-5 ASUN)

• Queens enters Thursday night averaging 80.9 points per game on 46 percent shooting from the field and 36 percent from behind the arc. The Royals are the league's leading scoring offense and hold a 1.126 offensive efficiency rating.
• On defense, the Royals are allowing 75.0 points per game on 46 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent from behind the arc.
• Queens is 5-6 on the road this season. The Royals have the third-highest winning percentage on the road across the league behind Liberty and Kennesaw State.
• The ASUN leads all NCAA Conferences in three-point attempts this season with a combined 7,853 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 11.0 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 16.9 points per game while hauling in 4.0 boards and dishing out 5.2 assists per game. The Royals are 110-28 when Dye is in the starting lineup as he is top four in points per game and first in assists per game in the league. Dye is 31 assists away from tying the program record which was set by Donay Fullwood in 1991-95.
• AJ McKee is coming off a week in which he was named ASUN Player of the Week, becoming the first Royal to receive ASUN praise since the transition. McKee has been a consistent producer this season as he is the only player in the league to reach double figures in all 23 games. The sophomore is averaging 18.5 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 9.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game across 20.7 minutes. McLaurin is top five in the ASUN in three-point field goal percentage at 46.6 percent as he has buried a three in 10 of the last 11 games.
• Kalib Mathews has been a force on defense for Queens as he leads the team in steals (33) and blocks (16). The 1.4 steals per game is top 10 in the league. The Franklinton native turned in a four-steal performance against FGCU.
• The Royals are 41-7 in the last two seasons when outrebounding their opponent. This year, Queens is second in the ASUN in rebounds per game with 39.0 and second in the league in offensive boards per game with 12.3. Queens has posted double-digit offensive rebounds in 18 games this season, including eight of their last 10 games.

 
LIPSCOMB UNIVERSITY (13-10 overall; 5-5 ASUN)

• Lipscomb enters Thursday night 13-10 overall and 5-5 in league play. The Bisons are on a two-game losing skid after falling at Jacksonville State and Kennesaw State last week.
• The Bisons are 10-1 at home this season with their only loss coming against Stetson on Dec. 30^th.
• Lipscomb is averaging 75.0 points per game on 47 percent shooting from the field and 34 percent from behind the arc. The Bisons efficient shooting percentage leads the league and is the 35^th-best mark in the nation.
• Lipscomb possesses a solid defense as opponents are averaging 68.7 points per game on 42 percent shooting from the field and 32 percent from behind the arc. The Bisons lead the league in defensive rebounding and sit second in defensive three-point field goal percentage
• The Bisons are led by Jacob Ognacevic, averaging 16.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. The sophomore has reached double figures in the last six games as he leads the league in field goal percentage and three-throw percentage.
• Preseason All-Conference recipient Ahsan Asadullah is pouring in 7.1 points while bringing down a team-high 6.0 rebounds per game.
• Last season, Lipscomb finished 14-19 overall and 6-10 in league play. The Bisons took down North Florida in the opening round of the ASUN Tournament before falling at Liberty 52-47.
• Lennie Acuff enters his fourth season at the helm of the Bisons. Under his direction, Lipscomb is 58-57 overall. Acuff is in his 32^nd season as a head coach and has experience at Lipscomb, Alabama Huntsville, Berry, and Belhaven.

 
Fans and families can purchase their tickets for Thursday night's game by visiting the Lipscomb Athletics website. The game will tip off at 7:00 PM from Allen 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.