NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Queens University of Charlotte men's basketball team will continue their historic season and postseason journey on Thursday, March 6^th when the Royals square off against the top-seeded Lipscomb Bisons inside Allen Arena on Thursday night. The winner of the Thursday night battle will advance to the ASUN Tournament Championship on Sunday, March 9^th and face the winner of the North Alabama and Jacksonville game.
 
GAMEDAY GUIDE AT LIPSCOMB (ASUN TOURNAMENT SEMIFINALS)
Date: Thursday, February 6, 2025
Time: 8:00 PM ET
Location: Allen Arena (Nashville, Tenn.)
Watch (ESPN Plus)
Stats (StatBroadcast)
Queens Game Notes
Championship Information

THE MATCHUP
Queens and Lipscomb are set to meet for the fifth time in program history, and the third time this season. The Royals and Bisons split the regular season series with the visiting team emerging victorious in both games. The last time the Royals made the trip to Nashville, the visiting Royals erased a 13-point second half deficit to storm back and take down the ASUN Preseason favorites. Just a few weeks later, the Bisons returned the favor inside Curry Arena outscoring Queens 61-39 in the second half to erase a halftime deficit. The ASUN Tournament Semifinals will mark the first postseason showdown between the two squads.

SCOUTING THE ROYALS (19-13 overall, 11-7 ASUN)

• Queens enters the Atlantic Sun Tournament Semifinals as the number six seed after posting an 18-13 overall record and 11-7 mark in league play. The Royals took down Florida Gulf Coast in the ASUN Tournament Quarterfinals for the third straight year on Monday night to secure their spot in their first-ever Semifinals appearance.
• The Royals turned in their best performance in the ASUN this year 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.
• Queens has handled their business on the road this year putting together 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.
• With a victory on Thursday night, the Royals will reach the 20-win mark for the first time in Division 1 program history. The last time the Royals reached the mark was their final season in Division 2 when they put together a 30-4 record.
• Queens took down Lipscomb inside Allen Arena earlier this season to snap the Bisons six-game home winning streak in ASUN play. The Royals took a 42-33 lead into the halftime break in their last outing, but the Bisons stormed back to outscore the Royals 61-39 and come from behind to win.
• Depth has been a key to success this season for Queens as they rank 13^th in the nation and lead the ASUN in bench scoring with 31.03 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 19-1 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.
• Seven-foot center Malcolm Wilson was named the ASUN Defensive Player of the Year on Tuesday after leading the nation in blocked shots all season. Wilson became the first player to block 100 shots in a single season in Division 1 program history.
• Second Team All-ASUN recipient Leo Colimerio has paced the Royals offense with 14.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game this season. The graduate student was 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 ranked top 20 in the league. Colimerio has dropped 20+ points in nine 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 third in the nation in threes made with 109. The Third Team All-ASUN selection became the first player in Division 1 program history to make 100 threes in a single season. The Houston native turned it on at the end of the regular season reaching double figures in 10 straight games and averaging 17.3 points on 4.2 made threes during that span.
• 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 135 and is averaging 7.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 0.9 steals per game. Last outing, Mathews filled the stat sheet with 14 points, four rebounds, and two assists at FGCU.
• Sophomore Bryce Cash has filled the stat sheet each night as the Charlotte native is averaging 4.9 points, 4.4 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 32 games this season. Berman is third on the team in scoring with 7.9 points per game and scored 22 points at West Georgia to match his season high. Jabriel has used his 6-9 frame to add 5.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 0.3 blocks per game

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

• Lipscomb enters the ASUN Tournament semifinals as the top seed after posting a 23-9 overall record, and 14-4 mark in ASUN play.
• The Bisons took down Central Arkansas in the ASUN Tournament Quarterfinals on Monday night 84-66.
• Lipscomb has been dominant at home holding a 38-7 record over the last three seasons. Earlier in the year, the Royals snapped the Bisons six-game home winning streak in ASUN play with a 75-73 victory.
• Lennie Acuff is in his sixth season at the helm of the Bisons program. Under his direction, Lipscomb is 108-81 and turned in back-to-back 20-win seasons. Earlier this week, Acuff was named the ASUN Coach of the Year and a finalist for the Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year award.
• Lipscomb presents one of the country's top offenses, ranking 55th in the nation in scoring offense with 79.4 points per game, a mark that also ranks third in the league. The Bisons are top 50 in the country in field goal percentage taking high-percentage shots.
• On the defensive side of the ball, Lipscomb is the best in the league ranking first in scoring defense by holding opponents to 67.2 points per game. The stout defense also ranks top 50 in the country.
• The Bisons are clutch from the charity stripe shooting 78.3 percent from the line, a mark that leads the ASUN and ranks 14th in the country.
• Lipscomb is led by the ASUN Player of the Year, Jacob Ognacevic. The three-time ASUN Player of the Week and five-time Tennessee Sports Writers Association Player of the Week leads the ASUN with 20.3 points per game, a mark that ranks 10th in the nation. Ognacevic has nine double-doubles on the season, including seven in ASUN play.
• Senior Will Pruitt was named Second Team All-ASUN after averaging 13.0 points per game across 31 games. Pruitt is one of two ASUN athletes to record a triple-double this season.

 
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