LEXINGTON, Va. – The Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team will look to snap a two-game losing skid on Saturday afternoon when the Royals travel to VMI. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN Plus. The afternoon tilt will be the Royals second game as part of the ASUN-SoCon Challenge. The Royals took down Western Carolina earlier in the season and hold a 2-2 overall record against the league since joining Division 1.
 
GAMEDAY GUIDE VS. VMI
Date: Saturday, December 7, 2024
Time: 1:00 PM
Location: Cameron Hall (Lexington, Va.)
Watch (ESPN Plus)
Stats (Sidearm)
Queens Game Notes
Tickets

THE MATCHUP
Queens and VMI will meet for the first time on Saturday afternoon. The Royals are 2-2 against the SoCon over the last three years with victories over Western Carolina and East Tennessee State.
 
SCOUTING THE ROYALS (3-5 overall, 0-0 ASUN)

• Queens will look to get back on track after dropping a Tuesday night tilt against Winthrop inside Curry Arena. The visiting Eagles were scorching hot in the second half shooting 59 percent from the field while earning 23 free throw attempts compared to the Royals nine. Chris Ashby led the Royals turning in a game-high 20 points on 5-of-12 shooting from downtown.
• The afternoon tip against the Keydets will be the first day game of the season for the Royals. Over the last three seasons, Queens is 10-5 in afternoon games, including a 5-2 mark in non-conference day games.
• Queens has struggled on the glass on the young season as opponents are outrebounding the Royals by 7.6 boards per game, a mark that is last in the ASUN. The margin is the lowest since at least 2001-02.
• The Royals non-conference slate features four teams, including Utah, BYU, Winthrop, and Mercer ranked top 50 in the nation in scoring offense.
• This season, Queens non-conference opponents up to this point have combined to go 47-31.
• Sharpshooter Chris Ashby has been on a heater from outside making five shots from behind the arc in three straight games. Ashby moved into sixth all-time in career three-pointers made last game as he leads the Royals in scoring with 11.9 points per game.
• Malcolm Wilson has been a key player to watch this season as the graduate student is averaging a nation-best 4.9 blocks per game. Wilson became the fourth NCAA Division 1 men's basketball player since 2014 to block 34+ shots before December 1^st.
• Charlotte native Bryce Cash is coming off a season-high 13 points against the Eagles on Tuesday. Cash also distributed seven assists and grabbed four boards to his line. The Royals sit third in the ASUN in assists due to Cash's ability to run the offense as he ranks top five in the league in assists with 4.1 per game.
• Fresno State transfer Leo Colimerio is finding his groove offensively after turning in his third straight double-figure performance against Winthrop. Colimerio poured in 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting and grabbed four rebounds. The Sao Paulo, Brazil native sits third on the team in scoring with 8.8 points per game.
• Veteran Jaxon Pollard is coming off a solid 11-point and eight-rebound performance on Tuesday night. The scoring matched his career-high while he brought down a season-high on the glass.
• The free throw line has been a challenge for the Royals this season as Queens is shooting 57 percent from the stripe, the lowest mark since 2020-21 and the lowest percentage by any team in Division 1. Despite the struggles, the Royals are attempting the second-most free throws in the ASUN.

 
SCOUTING THE KEYDETS (5-5 overall, 0-0 SoCon)

• VMI enters Saturday afternoon 5-5 overall, and a perfect 3-0 at home. The Keydets are coming off a dominant 113-51 victory on Tuesday night against the Virginia University of Lynchburg.
• Andrew Wilson is in his third season at the helm of the VMI program. Under his guidance, the Keydets are 16-58. Wilson took the reigns as the 29th head coach following two seasons as an assistant coach at James Madison University where he helped the Dukes to back-to-back winning seasons.
• VMI is one of the nation's top perimeter offenses making 10.2 three pointers per game on 29.5 attempts per outing, both of which are top 35 in the country.
• VMI is averaging 79.0 points per game as an offense this season. Putting three non-D1 games aside, the Keydets are only averaging 67.4 points per outing.
• Three Keydets are averaging double figures as TJ Johnson leads the way with 15.6 points per game on 46 percent shooting from the field. Lithuania native Augustinas Kiudulas is closely behind with 15.1 points per outing and 7.1 rebounds.
• Kiudalas, a sophomore forward has a pair of double-doubles under his belt this year and dropped a season-high 27 points in the opener against Washington College (Md.).
• VMI is surrendering 70.6 points per game on 44 percent shooting from the field. The Keydets are 1-5 on the year when their opponents reach the average.
• VMI was picked to finish last in the SoCon Preseason Poll following a 4-28 season last year.

 
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