FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team is prepared to open their third straight trip to the ASUN Tournament in Fort Myers, Florida against FGCU on Monday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN Plus. The sixth-seeded Royals and third-seeded Eagles will meet for the third straight year to open the conference tournament with Queens winning the first two tournament appearances.
 
GAMEDAY GUIDE AT FGCU (ASUN TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS
Date: Monday, February 3, 2025
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Alico Arena (Fort Myers, Fla.)
Watch (ESPN Plus)
Stats (StatBroadcast)
Queens Game Notes
Championship Information

THE MATCHUP
Queens and FGCU are set to meet for the seventh time in the last three seasons, and the third straight time in the opening round of the ASUN Tournament. The Royals hold a 5-2 advantage over the Eagles all-time, and a 2-0 mark in those previous tournament games. FGCU has been the Royals most-played opponent since joining the league in 2022. This year, the two squads split the regular-season series with the home team emerging victorious. Queens is 0-2 all-time inside Alico Arena. All seven meetings have been tightly contested as the average margin of victory has been 6.7 points.

SCOUTING THE ROYALS (18-13 overall, 11-7 ASUN)

• Queens the Atlantic Sun Tournament as the number six seed after posting an 18-13 overall record and 11-7 mark in league play. The Royals are coming off a 74-69 loss at North Alabama last Wednesday in the regular season finale. Turnovers proved to be the difference in the game as North Alabama converted 14 Queens turnovers into 11 points.
• The Royals enter the ASUN Tournament following their best performance in the ASUN since joining the league in 2022. Queens finished three spots higher than their projected finish in the ASUN Preseason Coaches Poll with their best record in league play.
• Winning on the road hasn't been an issue for Queens as the Royals are tied for the second-best winning percentage in ASUN road games this season with a 6-3 mark. Queens has taken down the top two preseason favorites in Lipscomb and Austin Peay on their home courts.
• Queens has reached 18 wins for the second time in Division 1 after posting an 18-15 record in their inaugural season. The Royals are making their third straight trip to the ASUN Tournament since joining the conference.
• Queens and FGCU are familiar postseason foes as the Royals have ousted the Eagles in the previous two ASUN Tournaments. Both games were played on neutral sites, but impressive performances on the glass and at the charity stripe carried Queens to victories. The Royals will be seeking their first trip to the ASUN Tournament Semifinals after falling the last two seasons to the eventual ASUN Tournament Champions in Kennesaw State and Stetson.
• Depth has been a key to success this season for Queens as they rank 12^th in the nation, and lead the ASUN in bench scoring with 31.58 points per game. Nine Royals are averaging at least 5.0 points per game as they have a unique ability to wear teams down.
• Closing out games has been a strong suit for Queens this season as the Royals are 18-1 when leading with five minutes to go. Queens rattled off 16 straight wins this season when leading at that mark before an overtime thriller at Eastern Kentucky snapped the streak.
• Fresno State transfer Leo Colimerio has paced the Royals offense with 13.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game this season. The graduate student has been one of the league's top newcomers averaging 15.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game in ASUN play which all rank top 20 in the league. Colimerio has dropped 20+ points in eight games this season and reached the 1,000 career-scoring milestone against Austin Peay.
• Sharpshooter Chris Ashby has been one of the nation's top perimeter shooters this season ranking second in the nation in threes made with 107. Ashby became the first player in Division 1 program history to make 100 threes in a single season. The Houston native has turned it on at the end of the season reaching double figures in 10 straight games and averaging 17.3 points on 4.2 made threes during that span.
• The nation's leading shot blocker Malcolm Wilson swatted his 100^th block of the season last week to become the first player in Division 1 program history to block 100 shots in a single season. The Georgetown transfer has swatted the second-most shots in a single season and recorded 11 five-block performances this season.
• Kalib Mathews continues to flourish in his final season in the Queen City. The Franklinton native has appeared in the third most games in program history at 134 and is averaging 7.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 0.9 steals per game. Last outing, Mathews filled the stat sheet with 11 points, six rebounds, and six assists at North Alabama.
• Sophomore Bryce Cash has filled the stat sheet each night as the Charlotte native is averaging 4.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and a team-high 4.1 assists per game. The unanimous All-ASUN freshman team selection from a season ago has dropped double figures in four games this season.
• Freshmen Yoav Berman and Maban Jabriel have been key to the Royals depth appearing in all 31 games this season. Berman is third on the team in scoring with 8.0 points per game and scored 22 points at West Georgia to match his season high. Jabriel has used his 6-9 frame to add 5.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 0.4 blocks per game

SCOUTING THE EAGLES (18-13 overall, 13-5 ASUN)

• FGCU enters the ASUN Tournament as the third seed after posting an 18-13 overall record and a 13-5 mark in league play.
• The third seeded finish is the best under third-year head coach Pat Chambers. The Eagles were picked to finish sixth in the ASUN Preseason Coaches Poll and fourth in the ASUN Preseason Media Poll.
• Under the direction of Chambers, the Eagles are 49-46 and entering their third straight ASUN Tournament. The former Penn State head coach led the Nittany Lions to a No. 9 national ranking in the 2019-20 which was the highest since 1996.
• FGCU enters the tournament on a four-game winning streak as the Eagles are one of the hottest teams in the league heading into the postseason.
• Inside Alico Arena, the Eagles have been tough to beat posting an 11-4 record, and 8-1 mark against ASUN opponents this season. The lone ASUN program to escape Fort Myers victorious was Eastern Kentucky.
• The Eagles prioritize defense and rank second in the league holding opponents to 69.7 points per game on 43 percent shooting. The perimeter defense has hurt the Eagles this season as opponents are shooting 35 percent from behind the arc.
• Despite ranking sixth in the league in scoring offense with 72.8 points per game, FGCU takes high percentage shots sitting second in field goal percentage.
• Senior Dallion Johnson leads the Eagles offense with 15.1 points per game on 43 percent shooting. Johnson ranks ninth in the ASUN in scoring per game.
• Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Keeshawn Kellman returned for his final season and is averaging 13.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game. Kellman ranks sixth in the ASUN in rebounding.

 
SOCIAL MEDIA
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