CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team will look to build upon a convincing midweek victory when the Royals host West Georgia on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN Plus. The Royals are coming off a 75-67 victory over one of the league's top teams in North Alabama on Wednesday night.
 
GAMEDAY GUIDE VS. WEST GEORGIA
Date: Saturday, February 1, 2025
Time: 1:00 PM
Location: Curry Arena (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Queens Game Notes
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THE MATCHUP
Queens and West Georgia are set to meet for the third time in school history, and the first time in Division 1. The Royals hold a 2-0 advantage over the Wolves with a pair of regular-season victories in Division 2. Saturday afternoon will mark the first time during the transition period that Queens will take on another school in the transition from Division 2 to Division 1. In their last meeting, former Queens standout Jay'Den Turner recorded his first career double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds as the Royals stormed from behind to down the Wolves in Georgia.

SCOUTING THE ROYALS (13-9 overall, 6-3 ASUN)

• Queens enters Saturday afternoon 13-9 overall and 6-3 in ASUN play. The Royals are coming off a convincing 75-67 over North Alabama on Wednesday night. Queens held the lead for 38 minutes of action and countered every North Alabama run with a scoring surge of their own to maintain the lead. Kalib Mathews turned in one of his best performances of the season with 11 points, two rebounds, five assists, and three steals across a season-high 33 minutes of work.
• Queens finished the month of January with a 6-3 record, the best start to ASUN play since joining the league in 2022.
• In the victory on Wednesday night, five different Royals reached double figures. The distributive scoring total marked the third game this season that five Royals poured in double figures.
• The Royals have found success when getting to the free throw line as Queens holds a 9-1 record this season when getting more attempts from the stripe. Queens earned a season-high 36 attempts last outing and cashed in with 24 points.
• Queens has defended their den in Division 1 holding a 26-11 record. This season, Queens is 7-3 inside Curry Arena.
• Since conference play started, the Royals have been one of the league's top offenses ranking fourth in scoring with 78.3 points per game. Queens has capitalized from the free throw line sinking 73 percent of their free attempts, the sixth-best mark in the ASUN through nine games.
• Winning the battle on the boards has been a key to success for the Royals as they rank second in rebounding and third in offensive boards in conference play. The Royals are 12-2 on the year when outrebounding their opponent.
• As a team, Queens ranks tied for 17^th in the nation averaging 5.3 blocks per game. The mark leads the ASUN in part to 7-0 Malcolm Wilson's presence in the paint. The center has led Division 1 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 12^th in the country, and first in the ASUN in bench scoring with 33.1 points per game.
• Closing out games has been a strength for Queens this season as the Royals are 13-0 when leading with five minutes to go.
• Graduate student Leo Colimerio was named the CollegeInsider Lute Olson National Player of the Week, Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week, and ASUN Player of the Week earlier this season. The Sao Paulo, Brazil native leads the Royals in scoring. In league play, Colimerio averages 15.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game.
• Freshman Yoav Berman is coming off an impressive week where he averaged 16.5 points on 67 percent shooting from the field. Berman turned in a season-high 22 points in the midweek against North Florida last week. The Tel Aviv, Israel has poured in double figures in three straight games.
• Sharpshooter Chris Ashby sits fourth all-time in career three-pointers and needs six more threes to tie former Queens standout Todd Withers. Ashby has buried 67 shots from downtown as he looks to become the fourth player in school history to hit 100+ threes in a single season.
• Senior Jaxon Pollard has been a force on the block in conference play. The Cedar Hills native is scoring 8.4 points and grabbing 5.4 rebounds per game. Pollard is coming off a 10 point and six rebound performance on Wednesday night.
• 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 WOLVES (4-18 overall, 2-7 ASUN)

• West Georgia enters Saturday afternoon 4-18 overall, and 2-7 in ASUN play. The Wolves are coming off a 75-70 loss at Central Arkansas on Wednesday night.
• West Georgia is in their first season at the NCAA Division 1 level after leaving the Gulf South Conference at the Division 2 level.
• The program has seen tremendous success dating back to the late 1950's as the Wolves are 1,040-783 all-time.
• Dave Moore is in his seventh season at the helm of the West Georgia program. Under his direction, the Wolves are 107-86 and made three NCAA Division 2 tournament appearances in the span of four seasons. In their last year of Division 2, Moore guided the program to a 27-6 record, a GSC Regular Season and Tournament title, and an appearance in the South Region semifinals game for the second straight season.
• Despite ranking 11th in the league in scoring offense with 69.4 points per game, the Wolves bring a solid defensive presence. Against ASUN opponents, West Georgia is seventh in scoring defense holding opponents to 77.9 points per game. The Wolves are fourth in the league in steals in ASUN play as they sit second in turnover margin.
• Shelton Williams-Dryden is the sparkplug for the Wolves starting 21-of-22 appearances this season and averaging a team-best 16.9 points per game and 7.4 rebounds per game. The 6-6 forward swept the ASUN weekly awards in week three for his performances.
• Junior Kyric Davis is second on the team in scoring with 10.1 points per game while also ranking seventh in the league in blocks per game.
• West Georgia was picked to finish last in the ASUN Preseason Coaches Poll as they enter their first year in the league.

 
SOCIAL MEDIA
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