CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – The Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team will look to bounce back on Saturday evening as they take on Austin Peay inside F&M Bank Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN Plus.
 
GAMEDAY GUIDE
Date: February 10th, 2024
Time: 5:15 PM
Location: F&M Bank Arena (Clarksville, Tenn.)
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THE MATCHUP
Saturday's clash will be the third all-time meeting between Queens and Austin Peay. Last year, the Royals swept both contests in thrilling fashion. Queens welcomed the Governors to Curry Arena to kick off their inaugural ASUN season. The Royals erased a 16-point second half deficit to come from behind and drop the Governors in Charlotte. A month later, Queens traveled to Clarksville and stunned the Govs again as BJ McLaurin drilled a game-winning three pointer at the buzzer.
 
SCOUTING THE ROYALS (10-15 overall, 4-6 ASUN)

• The Royals are coming off a tough 90-88 loss against Lipscomb University on Thursday night. The game quickly turned into a shootout as both squads were incredibly efficient on the offensive end shooting over 50 percent. After Deyton Albury tied the game on a layup with 10 seconds remaining, the Bisons turned to their hot hand in Derrin Boyd who finished an acrobatic layup at the buzzer.
• Queens enters Saturday night looking to get right on the road as the Royals are 0-13 in true road games this year. However, the Royals have lost their five ASUN road games by an average of 5.8 points, which includes three games decided by one possession.
• The free throw line has contributed to the road struggles as the Royals are shooting 65 percent from the stripe on the road compared to a 76 mark at home. Against Lipscomb, the Royals only managed to go 4-of-7 from the line marking a season-low in makes and attempts.
• The Queens offense can score in a hurry as they are fourth in the league in scoring with 80.8 points per game. The highflying Royals love to get out and run, ranking ninth in the country in pace of play.
• Queens is knocking down 9.0 three-pointers per game which is fifth best in the league and ranks top-40 in the NCAA in makes per game. The Royals are 8-5 when they bury at least their season average in three-pointers in a game.
• Sharing the ball efficiently is a key for the Royals as they are 7-2 on the year when dishing out 15+ assists as a team. Queens ranks seventh in the ASUN in assists as guard Deyton Albury leads the way with 4.0 per game, which is eighth best in the ASUN.
• The Royals have struggled on the defensive end this season as they are giving up the most points on average in the league at 82.5. Queens opponents are also shooting at a conference high 47 percent from the field.
• Junior guard Deyton Albury has been incredible in his first season in the Queen City. The Nassau native is coming off his third double-double of the season at Lipscomb as he ranks third in the ASUN Player of the Year rankings according to KenPom. Albury ranks third in the league in scoring and top 10 in field goal percentage, rebounds, assists, and steals. In league play, Albury is pouring in 21.3 points per game which is second most behind Chaz Lanier from North Florida.
• Junior guard AJ McKee has reached double-digit scoring in 24-of-25 contests this year and is coming off a team-high 23 points at Lipscomb. The reigning ASUN Player of the Week is averaging 17.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game as he ranks fifth in the league in scoring and third in steals.
• Senior forward BJ McLaurin has started all 25 games down low for the Royals and sits 11^th in the league in rebounds. The Fayetteville native has reached double figures in 14 games.
• Rookie Bryce Cash has become one of the ASUN's best freshman. On Homecoming, against Bellarmine he totaled an efficient 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting. The Charlotte native is averaging 10.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in the Royals last six games.

 
SCOUTING THE GOVERNORS (12-14 overall, 5-5 ASUN)

• The Governors enter Saturday afternoon with a 12-14 record, and a 5-5 mark in the ASUN. Austin Peay is coming off a decisive 85-69 home victory against Kennesaw State on Thursday night.
• Austin Peay will look to continue to defend their homecourt as the Govs are 9-1 inside F & M Bank Arena this year.
• The Governors have been led by a veteran presence as their top four scorers are all graduate students.
• Northwestern State transfer Demarcus Sharp has been the leader of the Austin Peay offense as he leads the way with 17.3 points per game, 6.9 rebounds per game, and 4.7 assists per game. Sharp is sixth in the conference in points, sixth in rebounds, and third in assists. The grad transfer is also tough to handle on the defensive end as he swipes a conference-leading 2.2 steals per game. Sharp has missed the last two games due to injury.
• Ja'Monta Black is electric from behind-the-arc for the Governors. The guard has attempted the most three-point attempts in the conference and is shooting a blistering 40 percent from long range which is third-best in the ASUN.
• Sai Witt is a physical presence downlow for the hosts as the Kansas City native is averaging 10.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
• Austin Peay's identity is on the defensive end as they are holding their opponents to a conference-best 69.6 points per game. The Governors are elite defending the three-point line as opponents are shooting 30-percent from long range.
• The hosting Governors are the best in the ASUN at taking care of the basketball averaging just 9.1 turnovers per game.
• The Governors struggle shooting from the field as they are 10th in the conference in field goal percentage, and last from the charity stripe. However, Austin Peay does shoot a 36 percent from long range which is fourth best in the ASUN.
• Austin Peay was picked to finish eighth in the ASUN Preseason Coaches Poll and 11^th in the ASUN Preseason Media Poll. Lipscomb posted a 9-22 overall record and 3-15 record in league play last season.
• Corey Gipson is in his first year as Head Coach of the Governors. The Austin Peay alum, who previously served as an assistant at the school was the head coach at Northwestern State last year. In his lone year at the helm, he led the university to a 22-9 record that included a win over top-15 ranked TCU and the No. 2 seed in the Southland Conference Tournament.

 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Royals will return to the Queen City and prepare to host North Florida inside Curry Arena on Wednesday, February 14th. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN Plus.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Be sure to follow the Royals on Twitter, Instagram, and Tik Tok. Fans are also encouraged to follow Queens Athletics on social media to stay up to date on all the Royals sports in action.