CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Royals return to Curry Arena for a Saturday afternoon contest against the Western Carolina Catamounts. Queens holds a 5-4 overall record, while the Catamounts come in with a 6-4 record on the season. Saturday's matchup against Western Carolina will close out the home non-conference slate for the Royals. Fans are encouraged to wear an Ugly Christmas Sweater.

GAMEDAY GUIDE
Date: Saturday, December 14, 2024
Time: 2:00 PM
Location: Curry Arena (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Queens Game Notes
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THE MATCHUPS
The Royals have dropped both meetings since 2022 against the Catamounts in the series. Last year's meeting between the Royals and Catamounts featured five lead changes, with Western Carolina escaping with a 69-63 road victory. Jordyn Weaver pulled down 14 rebounds in the loss.

SCOUTING THE ROYALS (5-4 overall, 0-0 ASUN)

• Queens averages 67.3 points per game while allowing 64.9. The Royals are coming off a Division I program record 108 point showing against Johnson & Wales last time out in Curry Arena.
• Jordyn Weaver has been the team's most reliable scorer, averaging 13.0 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while shooting an impressive 54.2 percent from the field.
• Ana Barreto contributes 10.3 points per game and leads the team in three-point shooting, hitting 42.6 percent of her attempts from beyond the arc. Barretto has made 20 of the team's 52 three-pointers this season.
• After moving to a new role coming off the bench, Jermany Mapp has provided balanced contributions, averaging 9.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
• Defensively, the Royals have thrived in transition, generating 10.0 steals per game and 198 turnovers on the season, leading to an average of 23.7 points off turnovers.
• Ana Barreto, Aylesha Wade, Magda Freire, and Jordyn Weaver each have at least 10 steals a piece to lead the Royals defensive charge.
• After nine games, Queens has struggled to find consistency as a team from three-point range, averaging 29.7 percent.
• The Royals hold a 62.8 percent average from the charity stripe.

SCOUTING THE CATAMOUNTS (6-4 overall, 0-0 SoCon)

• Individual efforts by Zanoria Cruz, AC Carter, and Tyja Beans pushed Western Carolina down the stretch as the Catamounts claimed an 81-76 overtime victory over ASUN newcomer West Georgia last time out for Western Carolina.
• Head Coach Jonathan Tsipis was named the 14th leader of the Western Carolina women's basketball team. Tsipis spent the past two seasons as the Advisor for Scouting and Analytics at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis., alongside Megan Duffy, who played for him while an assistant at Notre Dame and coached under him at George Washington.
• Western Carolina enters Saturday's contest with a 6-4 overall record, including a 3-3 mark on the road. Notable wins include a one-point victory over Campbell (73-72) and a dominant performance against Warren Wilson (119-36). The Catamounts average 71.4 points per game while holding opponents to 69.5 points.
• Western Carolina is led by standout guard AC Carter who leads the team in scoring with 14.2 points per game, shooting 40.8 percent from the field. Carter is backed by sophomore Tyja Beans averages 8.8 rebounds per game and contributes 11.1 points per contest.
• Senior guard Jada Burton paces the Catamounts as a dynamic playmaker, averaging 9.2 points and leading the team with 46 assists.
• The Wofford Terriers were tabbed as the preseason favorites to win the Southern Conference women's basketball title for the 2024-25 season, according to a vote by the league's head coaches. Western Carolina rounded out the polls with 10 points and were predicted to finish 8th in the league.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Be sure to follow Queens Women's Basketball on Twitter and Instagram for news and updates throughout the season. Fans are also encouraged to follow Queens Athletics on social media to stay up to date on all the Royals sports in action.