DELAND, Fla. – The Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball will take their perfect ASUN record to the Sunshine State on Thursday, January 16^th for a battle with the reigning ASUN Tournament Champions from Stetson. The two squads met in the Queen City at the start of January to kickstart ASUN play and the Royals emerged victorious 96-87.
 
GAMEDAY GUIDE AT STETSON
Date: Thursday, January 16, 2025
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Edmunds Center (DeLand, Fla.)
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THE MATCHUP
Queens and Stetson are set for their sixth all-time meeting and second of the season. The two squads met a few weeks back in Charlotte to kick off the ASUN season and the Royals took down the Hatters 96-87. In that meeting, Chris Ashby buried the most three-pointers (8) by a Royal in the Division 1 era to lead the way with 24 points. Fresno State transfer Leo Colimerio turned in a game-high 27 points while adding six boards and five assists. Queens managed to force 13 Hatters turnovers which the Royals converted into 19 points.
 
SCOUTING THE ROYALS (11-6 overall, 4-0 ASUN)

• Queens is coming off a key 2-0 week on the road against the league's top two preseason favorites in Lipscomb and Austin Peay. The Royals took down Austin Peay in their last outing 67-60 behind a dominant second-half performance where they shot 52 percent from the field. Queens used their physicality on the glass to outrebound the Governors 53-23, including a 17-6 mark on the offensive boards. Coming off the bench, Jaxon Pollard sparked the Royals with 12 points and eight rebounds.
• The Royals remain the only unbeaten team in the ASUN in their best start since joining the league in 2022. Queens is 1-of-2 Division 1 men's basketball programs in the state of North Carolina to be unbeaten in conference play as Duke is perfect in ACC play. The 4-0 start to conference play is the best since rattling off 11 straight in 2018-19 when Queens was still Division 2.
• Queens has been rolling lately winning eight of their last nine games with their only loss coming at No. 16/17 Ole Miss. In that game with the Rebels, the visiting Royals took a seven-point deficit into the final seven minutes of action.
• As a team, Queens ranks tied for 12^th in the nation averaging 5.4 blocks per game. The mark leads the ASUN in part to 7-0 Malcolm Wilson's presence in the paint. The center has led the nation all season in blocked shots and became the fourth player in NCAA Division 1 men's basketball since 2014 to block 34+ shots before December 1^st.
• Depth has been a key to success early for the Royals as they rank top 20 in the country, and first in the ASUN in bench scoring with 32.5 points per game.
• Closing out games has been a strength for Queens this season as the Royals are 11-0 when leading with five minutes to go.
• Crashing the glass is a recipe for success for Queens as they are 10-1 on the season when outrebounding their opponents.
• Queens is 8-2 on the season when dishing out 15+ assists. The Royals are averaging 15.9 dimes per game which ranks second in the ASUN. Sophomore Bryce Cash has facilitated the offense with 4.1 assists per game which is fifth most in the league.
• Last week, graduate student Leo Colimerio named the CollegeInsider Lute Olson National Player of the Week, Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week, and ASUN Player of the Week. The Sao Paulo, Brazil native averaged 31.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game in his first week of conference play. Colimerio became the first player in Division 1 program history to receive national weekly honors.
• Chris Ashby sits fourth all-time in career three-pointers made as a Royal. The senior is looking to become the fourth player in school history to hit 100+ threes in a single season.
• Cedar Hills, Utah native Jaxon Pollard has found his groove recently averaging 11.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per game off the bench. Pollard has poured in double figures in seven games this season, including the last three games.
• Queens was picked to finish ninth in the ASUN Preseason Coaches Poll. Since joining the league in 2022, the Royals have finished at least two positions higher than projected and claimed their spot in back-to-back ASUN Tournaments.

 
SCOUTING THE HATTERS (6-10 overall, 1-2 ASUN)

• Stetson enters Thursday night 4-13 overall and 2-2 in ASUN play. The Hatters are coming off a 92-64 loss against North Alabama after rattling off consecutive wins against West Georgia and Central Arkansas.
• After holding a 22-5 record inside the Edmunds Center over the last two seasons, the Hatters are 3-4 on their home court this season with two of those victories coming against non-Division 1 opponents.
• Donnie Jones is in his sixth season leading the Stetson program. Under his direction, the Hatters are 82-91 and coming off their first ASUN Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance last season.
• The Hatters have struggled defensively surrendering 82.3 points per game, a mark that ranks 347th in the nation. Opponents are draining 45 percent of their attempts from the field and 37 percent from behind the arc.
• The glass has been a problem for the Hatters as they are being outrebounded by 4.8 per game. In the first meeting, Queens won the battle on the boards 33-23.
• Stetson has managed to get to the charity stripe the second most in the ASUN behind the Royals, and they are converting 73 percent of their attempts which is fourth-best in the league.
• The Hatters have been turnover prone committing 14.2 miscues per game, the second most in the ASUN. In the last meeting with Queens, the Royals forced 13 turnovers which were converted into 19 points.
• Mehki Ellison leads the Stetson offense with 16.0 points per game on 50 percent shooting. The 6-0 guard turned in 23 points in the first meeting as he ranks ninth in the league in scoring.

 
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