CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team (16-10 overall, 6-7 ASUN) will look to complete the regular season sweep over the Bellarmine Knights (11-15 overall, 6-7 ASUN) with a Saturday afternoon showdown inside Curry Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:00 PM and the game will be broadcasted on ESPN Plus. Prior to tipoff, the Royals will celebrate their 2023 senior class beginning at 12:45 PM.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Royals are coming off a tough 84-80 loss inside Curry Arena against Eastern Kentucky on Thursday night. The Colonels outscored the Royals 48-39 in the second half and won the battle on the glass 40-33. AJ McKee scored a game-high 27 points as he shot 4-of-6 from behind the arc. Jay'Den Turner notched his second straight double-double with an 11-point and 10-rebound performance. Kenny Dye packed the stat sheet with 21 points, five rebounds, and four steals which marked a season-high.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
Saturday afternoon will mark the second meeting between Queens and Bellarmine. The two programs faced off to open the New Year in Louisville and the Royals emerged victorious 75-74. AJ McKee dropped 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting while Kenny Dye and Quan McCluney combined for 27 points. Queens won the battle on the glass 37-27, including 15 offensive boards which they converted into 18 second-chance points.
 
Game Notes
QUEENS UNIVERSITY OF CHARLOTTE (16-10 overall; 6-7 ASUN)

• Queens enters Saturday afternoon averaging 79.7 points per game on 45 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent from behind the arc. The Royals are the league's leading scoring offense and hold a 1.105 offensive efficiency rating.
• On defense, the Royals are allowing 74.7 points per game on 46 percent shooting from the field and 34 percent from behind the arc. The Royals' perimeter defense is 10^th best in a single season in program history.
• Queens is 8-3 inside Curry Arena this season and holds a 77 percent winning percentage since the arena opened in 2013.
• The ASUN leads all NCAA Conferences in three-point attempts this season with a combined 8,806 attempts. The Royals are averaging 26.9 three-pointers per game which is the third most in the league. Queens is sinking an average of 10.5 three-pointers per game against ASUN opponents.
• In the last two seasons, Queens is 33-4 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 16.7 points per game while hauling in 4.1 boards and dishing out 5.0 assists per game. The Royals are 111-30 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 21 assists away from tying the program record which was set by Donay Fullwood in 1991-95. The senior is also 38 points away from breaking the scoring record set by Donay Fullwood in 2007-11.
• AJ McKee has been a consistent producer this season as he is the only player in the league to reach double figures in all 26 games. The sophomore is averaging 19.0 points per game against league opponents which is second-best in the ASUN.
• BJ McLaurin has been a weapon for the Royals averaging 9.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game across 21.6 minutes.
• Jay'Den Turner has posted back-to-back double-doubles for the Royals as he is averaging 8.1 points and 6.7 rebounds this season. The last player to pick up consecutive double-doubles was Gavin Rains in the first two games of the season.
• The Royals are 42-7 in the last two seasons when outrebounding their opponent. This year, Queens is second in the ASUN in rebounds per game with 38.5 and second in the league in offensive boards per game with 11.8. Queens has posted double-digit offensive rebounds in 19 games this season, including nine of their last 13 games.

 
BELLARMINE UNIVERSITY (11-15 overall; 6-7 ASUN)

• Bellarmine enters Saturday afternoon 11-15 overall and 6-7 in league play. The Knights are 2-3 in their last five games with victories over EKU and Jacksonville State.
• The Knights sit in eighth place in the league and hold a 4-10 record on the road as they have dropped their last three road games.
• Bellarmine is averaging 65.8 points per game on 46 percent shooting from the field and 36 percent from behind the arc. The Knights are the second-lowest-scoring offense in the league.
• The Knights defense is surrendering 65.6 points per game on 44 percent shooting from the field and 43 percent from behind the arc. On the glass, Bellarmine is last in the league in rebounds per game pulling down 29.2.
• Bellarmine is led by Garrett Tipton who is averaging 12.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. The redshirt senior was named ASUN Player of the Week on January 9^th after scoring 27 points on 11-of-17 shooting against the Royals last time.
• Last season, Bellarmine finished 20-13 overall and 11-5 in league play. The Knights managed to win the ASUN Tournament title in their first season as a member of the league.
• Scott Davenport is in his 18^th season at the helm of the Knights program. Under his direction, Bellarmine holds a 409-145 record.

 
Fans and families can purchase their tickets for Saturday afternoon's game by visiting the Queens Athletics website. The game will tip off at 1:00 PM EST 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.