CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team (16-9 overall, 6-6 ASUN) will look to continue their dominance inside Curry Arena when they welcome Eastern Kentucky University (16-9 overall, 9-3 ASUN) for a pivotal conference clash on Thursday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM and the game will be broadcasted on ESPN Plus.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Trailing 69-67 with five seconds remaining at Austin Peay, Kenny Dye found BJ McLaurin at the top of the key for a game-winning three-pointer as the horn went off to complete the comeback victory. Jay'Den Turner notched his third double-double of the season with a 10-point and 13-rebound performance. AJ McKee led all scorers with 23 points, including a 13-for-16 clip from the free throw line. Queens won the battle on the boards 37-31 and improved to 15-3 on the season when outrebounding their opponent.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
Thursday night will mark the second meeting between the Royals and the Colonels this season. The conference foes met on New Years Eve in Richmond, Kentucky and the Royals dropped a high-scoring shootout 88-83. Sophomore AJ McKee poured in 20 points while pulling down seven rebounds. BJ McLaurin matched his season-high with 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field. EKU controlled the boards and the paint as they won the rebound margin 44-39 while scoring 40 points on the block.
 
Game Notes
QUEENS UNIVERSITY OF CHARLOTTE (16-9 overall; 6-6 ASUN)

• Queens enters Thursday night averaging 79.6 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 1.108 offensive efficiency rating.
• On defense, the Royals are allowing 74.4 points per game on 45 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent from behind the arc. The Royals' perimeter defense is 10^th best in a single season in program history.
• Queens is 8-2 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 8,503 attempts. The Royals are averaging 27.2 three-pointers per game which is the third most in the league. Queens is sinking an average of 10.3 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 15.7 points per game while hauling in 4.1 boards and dishing out 5.1 assists per game. The Royals are 111-29 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 23 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 as he is the only player in the league to reach double figures in all 25 games. The sophomore is averaging 18.3 points per game against league opponents which is third-best in the ASUN.
• BJ McLaurin has been a weapon for the Royals averaging 9.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game across 21.2 minutes. McLaurin is top 10 in the ASUN in three-point field goal percentage at 43.5 percent as he has buried a three in 12 of the last 13 games.
• Kalib Mathews has been a force on defense for Queens as he leads the team in steals (33) and blocks (17). 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 42-7 in the last two seasons when outrebounding their opponent. This year, Queens is second in the ASUN in rebounds per game with 38.7 and second in the league in offensive boards per game with 11.8. Queens has posted double-digit offensive rebounds in 18 games this season, including eight of their last 12 games.

 
EASTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY (16-9 overall; 9-3 ASUN)

• Eastern Kentucky enters Thursday night 16-9 overall and 9-3 in league play. The Colonels have won three straight league games coming into the Queen City, including victories over Bellarmine, Jacksonville State, and Kennesaw State.
• The Colonels sit in third in the ASUN and play exceptionally well at home with a 12-1 record. On the road, EKU is 3-7 overall and 2-3 in their last five road games.
• Eastern Kentucky is averaging 78.5 points per game on 44 percent shooting from the field and 36 percent from behind the arc. The Colonels are the second-best scoring offense in the league and lead the league in fastbreak points.
• The EKU defense is surrendering 72.2 points per game on 43 percent shooting from the field and 38 percent from deep. The Colonels defense is the fourth-best field goal percentage defense and forces the second-most turnovers per game in the league.
• The Colonels are the top rebounding team in the league as they bring down 39.2 boards per game. They also lead the ASUN in offensive boards per game with 13.1 which is top 15 nationally.
• EKU is led by junior Devontae Blanton who is scoring 16.2 points per game while grabbing 6.5 boards per game. The forward has three double-doubles this season.
• Isaiah Cozart is a pivotal starter for the Colonels as he is averaging 8.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. The junior leads the league and ranks top 10 in the country with 57 blocks.
• Last season, EKU finished 13-18 overall and 5-11 in ASUN play. The Colonels fell in the opening round of the ASUN Tournament at Kennesaw State 82-73.
• A.W. Hamilton is in his fifth season at the helm of the Colonels program. Under his direction, EKU is 80-69 and closing in on the most wins since 2020-21.

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