CONWAY, ARK. – The Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team is taking their two-game winning streak on the road as the Royals head to Conway, Arkansas for a midweek showdown at Central Arkansas. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ESPN Plus.
 
GAMEDAY GUIDE VS. CENTRAL ARKANSAS
Date: Wednesday, February 5, 2025
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Location: Farris Center (Conway, Ark.)
Watch (ESPN Plus)
Stats (Statbroadcast)
Queens Game Notes
Tickets

THE MATCHUP
Queens and Central Arkansas are set to meet for the third time since the Royals joined the ASUN in 2022. Across two meetings, both squads have pulled out a victory with the Royals taking the last meeting 96-79. Wednesday night will mark the Royals first trip to Conway as they look to build on their two game winning streak. Heading down the backstretch of the conference season, Queens is sitting tied for second with Lipscomb, North Alabama, and Jacksonville while the Bears are looking to finish strong and find their way into the conference tournament as they sit tied for 10th.

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

• Queens enters Wednesday night coming off a dominant 87-68 victory over West Georgia on Saturday afternoon. In the win, five different Royals posted double figures as Leo Colimerio led the charge with 19 points. Senior Jaxon Pollard provided the second-half spark with an 8-0 run by himself as Queens took control of the game.
• In the second half on Saturday, Queens poured in 59 points on 74 percent shooting from the field. Both marks were the most in a single half by Queens in Division 1 program history.
• In the victory on Saturday afternoon, five different Royals reached double figures. The distributing scoring total marked the fourth game this season, and the second straight that five different Royals have reached double figure scoring in the same game.
• Queens finished the month of January with a 6-3 record, the best start to ASUN play since joining the league in 2022. The Royals are in a four-way tie with Lipscomb, North Alabama, and Jacksonville for the second seed. Currently, Queens holds the tiebreaker over North Alabama and Lipscomb with victories earlier in league play, but the squads are set to meet one more time before the regular season ends.
• The Royals bench has been a key to success ranking top 10 in Division 1, and leading the ASUN in scoring with 33.22 points per game. Key contributors have been Yoav Berman (8.1 PPG), Jaxon Pollard (7.8 PPG), and Nasir Mann (7.0) as the trio ranks top five on the team in scoring. Across the squad, 10 different Royals are averaging at least 5.0 points per game.
• As a team, Queens ranks tied for 15^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 needs one block to tie Moustapha Diouf for the second-most blocks in a single season in school history.
• Rebounding wins championships and Queens leads the ASUN in total rebounds with 38.6 per game. The Royals are 13-2 on the season when they outrebound their opponent.
• Despite ranking 11^th in free throw percentage in the ASUN, the Royals are very successful when getting to the free throw line. This season, Queens is 9-1 on the season when attempting more free throws than their opponent.
• Queens has shown their ability to close out games as they are 14-0 this season when leading with five minutes to go.
• Sharpshooter Chris Asbhy is second on the team in scoring with 10.9 points per game. The senior is three three-pointers away from tying Todd Withers for the third most threes in school history.
• Fresno State transfer Leo Colimerio has wreaked havoc on the ASUN in his first season as he leads the Royals in scoring while ranking second in rebounds and assists. In conference play, the Sao Paulo, Brazil native is averaging 16.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game. Earlier this season, 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.
• Senior Jaxon Pollard has been a force on the block in conference play. The Cedar Hills native is scoring 8.9 points and grabbing 5.1 rebounds per game. Pollard is coming off a 13-point performance to match his career-high.
• 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 BEARS (6-17 overall, 2-8 ASUN)

• Central Arkansas enters Wednesday night 6-17 overall and 2-8 in conference play. The Bears are coming off a 94-65 loss against North Alabama on Saturday night. Brayden Fagbemi led the Bears with 25 points while adding eight assists.
• The season has been a tale of two destinations as the Bears are 6-4 inside the Farris Center, but 0-12 on the road.
• John Shulman is in his first season at the helm of the Bears program. The former Chattanooga and Alabama Huntsville head coach is 263-202 over his career.
• Despite their record, the Bears are one of the nation's top three-point shooting programs in the country ranking sixth in attempts per game, and 58th in made threes per game.
• Central Arkansas crashes the offensive glass and brings down 12.3 offensive boards per game, a mark that is 74th in the country and fourth in the conference.
• The Bears defense has struggled to contain their opposition as opponents are averaging 77.3 points per game on 45 percent shooting from the field. On the perimeter, opponents are shooting 37 percent.
• Central Arkansas lost their leading scorer, and one of the league's top players in Layne Taylor to a season-ending injury. The freshman was averaging 17.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.
• Elias Cato has put together a strong senior season averaging 15.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game across 22 starts.
• Central Arkansas was picked to finish 11th in the ASUN Preseason Poll following a 9-23 season last year. The Bears lost the ASUN Freshman of the Year, Tucker Anderson to Utah State via the transfer portal.

 
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