FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team will take their perfect 5-0 league record into Alico Arena for a key Saturday showdown against FGCU. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN Plus.
 
GAMEDAY GUIDE AT FGCU
Date: Saturday, January 18, 2025
Time: 2:00 PM
Location: Alico Arena (Fort Myers, Fla.)
Watch (ESPN Plus)
Stats (Statbroadcast)
Queens Game Notes
Tickets

THE MATCHUP
Queens and FGCU are set to battle for the seventh time, and second time this season. Queens has squared off against FGCU more than any other program in the league. The two squads met at the start of the month in the Queen City and the Royals outlasted the Eagles in a 92-83 shootout. Veteran Leo Colimerio turned in a career-high 35 points and drilled six three-pointers. The visiting Eagles capitalized on 12 Queens turnovers with 15 points to stay in the game.
 
SCOUTING THE ROYALS (12-6 overall, 5-0 ASUN)

• Queens is coming off a dominant 95-60 victory over the reigning ASUN Tournament champions from Stetson on Thursday night. Five different Royals reached double figures as Nasir Mann led the charge with 15 points. The Royals depth was on full display as the bench totaled 49 points.
• The Royals are riding a five-game winning streak into the weekend, the longest streak in the Division 1 era. Queens and Duke are the only two programs in the state of North Carolina to remain unbeaten in conference play.
• The perfect start to conference play is the best start since the Royals rattled off 11 straight league wins in 2018-19 when they were still Division 2.
• Gainesville native Nasir Mann threw down an electric dunk on Thursday night which made No. 3 on ESPN SportsCenter Top 10 plays.
• Depth has been a key to success early for the Royals as they rank 14^th in the country, and first in the ASUN in bench scoring with 33.4 points per game.
• As a team, Queens ranks tied for 13^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.
• Closing out games has been a strength for Queens this season as the Royals are 12-0 when leading with five minutes to go.
• Crashing the glass is a recipe for success for Queens as they are 11-1 on the season when outrebounding their opponents.
• Queens is 9-2 on the season when dishing out 15+ assists. The Royals are averaging 16.4 dimes per game which ranks second in the ASUN. Sophomore Bryce Cash has facilitated the offense with 4.2 assists per game which is third 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.
• Senior Kalib Mathews has been a sparkplug for the Royals this season. The Franklinton native is averaging 13.0 points and 6.7 rebounds over the last three games and he is coming off a career-high eight boards against Stetson.
• Freshmen Yoav Berman and Maban Jabriel have made incredible strides this season making an appearance in all 18 games. Berman is pouring in 7.4 points per game while grabbing 3.4 rebounds per contest. Jabriel is adding 5.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
• 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 EAGLES (9-9 overall, 4-1 ASUN)

• FGCU enters Saturday afternoon 9-9 overall and 4-1 in conference play. The Eagles are coming off a dominant 82-60 victory over West Georgia on Thursday night.
• Since falling to the Royals in the Queen City, the Eagles have rattled off three straight wins against North Alabama, Central Arkansas, and West Georgia.
• Alico Arena has been a tough place to escape victorious as the Eagles are 15-7 over the last two seasons on their home court.
• Pat Chambers is in his third season at the helm of the Eagles program. Under his leadership, FGCU is 40-42 and made back-to-back ASUN Tournament appearances. The former Penn State head coach led the Nittany Lions to a No. 9 national ranking in 2019-20 which was the highest ranking since 1996.
• FGCU brings a pesky defense that ranks top 100 in the country, and second in the ASUN in scoring defense holding opponents to 69.0 points per game.
• The Eagles are averaging 70.6 points per game on the offensive end which ranks 272nd in the country and 10th in the league.
• Senior Dallion Johnson leads the Eagles in scoring with 14.1 points per game which is also top 15 in the conference.
• The ASUN Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Keeshawn Kellman returned to the Eagles and is averaging 11.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. The mark on the glass is top five in the conference.
• Junior Jevin Muniz has been named ASUN Player and Newcomer of the Week. Against Richmond, the junior turned in a 15-point and 11-rebound double-double.
• FGCU was picked to finish sixth in the ASUN Preseason Poll.

 
SOCIAL MEDIA
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