CHARLOTTE, N.C. (January 28, 2025) – The University of North Alabama men's basketball team continues the first half of Atlantic Sun Conference play on Wednesday, as the Lions travel to Charlotte to take on the Queens Royals at 6 p.m. CT.
 
UNA and Queens are both in strong contention for an ASUN championship, as the Lions enter 6-2 in conference play and the Royals sit one game back at 5-3. However, both are going different directions as the Lions ride a three-game win streak and the Royals look to snap a three-game skid.
 
Fans can watch the game on ESPN+ or listen to the local broadcast with "Voice of the Lions" Benjamin Ray on the call via WLX Radio — 98.3 and 103.5 FM in the Shoals.
 
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Game: North Alabama vs. Queens
Date: Wednesday, January 29
Time: 6:00 p.m. CT
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
Venue: Levine Center / Curry Arena
Capacity: 2,500
Watch: ESPN+
Radio: WLX 98.3 & 103.5 FM ("Voice of the Lions" Benjamin Ray)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tickets: Click Here
Game Notes: Click Here
Social Media: @UNA_Basketball
 
NOTES
 
LAST TIME OUT: UNA battled Austin Peay in overtime on Saturday, pulling out a dramatic 88-84 victory inside CB&S Bank Arena. UNA led by as many as 10 in the second half, but APSU took a two-point lead with under a minute to go. Junior guard Jacari Lane made the game-tying layup with six seconds to go and went on to score eight points in overtime to secure the win. The potential go-ahead shot for Austin Peay in regulation was blocked by Corneilous Williams, who finished with six blocks to set a new Division I school record.
 
SCOUTING THE LIONS: North Alabama is 14-7 overall and 6-2 in ASUN play to sit in a tie for second with FGCU and Lipscomb. The Lions are averaging 79.0 PPG this season with just 71.8 PPG allowed. The Lions are ranked No. 132 in both the KenPom and NET rankings. Five Lions are averaging double figures, including Lane at 16.3 PPG. Senior Taye Fields and sophomore Corneilous Williams are the top two rebounders in the ASUN with Fields at 8.7 RPG and Williams at 8.5 RPG.
 
SCOUTING THE ROYALS: Queens is only in its third season at the Division I level, but the Royals have made an immediate impact with a 12-9 overall record and a 5-0 start in league play. Like UNA, Queens has received votes in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 this season. However, the Royals will look to snap a three-game skid following losses to FGCU, North Florida and Jacksonville. Fresno State transfer Leo Colimerio leads the way with 13.1 PPG. Returning senior Chris Ashby averages 10.9 PPG and has made 65 three-pointers. Grant Leonard is the head coach in his third season following six years as the associate head coach at Queens.
 
SERIES HISTORY: This will be the third meeting between UNA and Queens. Both teams have a home win, as Queens won 107-78 in 2023 and UNA returned the favor with a 990-84 win in 2024 inside CB&S Bank Arena.
 
LEVEL UP: UNA and Queens were both extremely successful at the Division II level. The two programs combine for 29 NCAA Division II tournament appearances, eight conference championships, 12 appearances in the Elite Eight, seven in the Final Four and two national titles — won by UNA in 1979 and 1991.
 
WATCH OUT FOR LANE: Junior guard Jacari Lane was named to the Lou Henson Early Season Watch List, an award given to the top mid-major basketball player each season. Lane is the only remaining first team All-ASUN selection back in the league this year. Last season, Lane scored 27 against Queens.
 
WEEKLY AWARD REGULARS: UNA has won the most ASUN Player and Newcomer of the Week awards in the ASUN this season with eight, including two this week thanks to Jacari Lane as Player of the Week and Daniel Ortiz as Newcomer of the Week. Lane has four this season, while Taye Fields has two weekly awards. Ortiz and Corneilous Williams have earned one each.
 
BLOCK PARTY AT THE BANK: UNA swatted 11 shots against Austin Peay to set a new Division I school record for single-game blocks. Corneilous Williams had six of those, breaking the individual Division I record. Fields added four blocks in the same game. The previous record holder was Damien Forrest, who did it against EKU in 2023 with five.
 
MOVING UP THE LIST: Jacari Lane is 11th on UNA's all-time scoring list with 1,232 career points. He needs just five points to crack the top 10 alongside UNA Hall of Famer Ricky Johnson (1989-92). Daniel Ortiz is not far behind in 17th on the all-time list with 1,173 career points at UNA.
 
CAREER GUY: Fifth-year senior Will Soucie is the all-time leader in career games for UNA with 137 appearances. He has 982 career points entering the week, as he hopes to become the 30th player to reach 1,000 career points at UNA. He is having a career season with 10.6 PPG.

THE MAGIC NUMBER IS 70: UNA is 14-2 when scoring at least 70 points and 0-5 when scoring under 70 points. Defensively, the Lions hare 12-1 when giving up 70 points or less. UNA is 2-6 when allowing more than 70 points in a game. Both of those wins have happened the last two Saturdays — at North Florida and at home against Austin Peay.

TURNOVER TAKEOVER: UNA has the 10th fewest turnovers per game in the NCAA with just 9.5 per game. Only 20 teams of 364 in the NCAA can claim fewer than 10 turnovers per game.

BATTLE OF THE BOARDS: UNA and Queens are two of the top three rebounding teams in the ASUN, along with EKU. QUC leads the league with 38.7 RPG, while the Lions are not far behind at 38.0 RPG. UNA has the top two rebounders in the conference, while Queens has three in the top 25 of the conference.

BATTLE OF THE SHOOTERS: UNA's Daniel Ortiz and QUC's Chris Ashby are among the nation's leaders in three-point shooting. Ortiz ranks second in the league with 66 makes, while Ashby is third with 65. Both are top six in three-point percentage in the conference with Ortiz fourth at 34.9 percent and Ashby in sixth at 33.9 percent.

ON DECK: This coming Saturday, UNA will welcome Central Arkansas to Florence at 7:45 p.m. At the game, UNA will honor legendary coaches Bobby Wallace and Mike D. Lane with a special "field-naming ceremony" for Bank Independent Stadium.

For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.