LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Bellarmine men's basketball team returns to Knights Hall this week after a four-game road trip to start a four-game home stretch. The Knights will welcome Queens to Louisville on Thursday before meeting West Georgia for the first time on Saturday for Senior Day.
 
Tipoff for both contests is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and ESPN 680/105.7.
 
About Queens
Queens (NET No. 205) will enter Knights Hall on Thursday at 15-10 overall and 8-4 in ASUN play—one game behind the current first-place quartet of FGCU, Jacksonville, Lipscomb and North Alabama. The Royals have been streaky in conference play, winning their first five games, dropping their next three games and winning three more in a row before falling on Saturday at home to Lipscomb, 94-81.
 
The Royals rank fifth in the ASUN in both team offense (76.0 points per game) and team defense (73.2 points per game allowed). On the glass, they average a league-best 38.2 rebounds per game, but are just fourth in the league with a +2.0 margin. Queens has also blocked more shots (130) than anyone else in the ASUN, averaging 5.2 per game, good for 17^th in the country.
 
Fifth-year forward Leo Colimerio joined Queens after four seasons at Fresno State and is averaging a team-best and career-best 13.7 points. He is the Royals' best three-point shooter percentagewise at .412 (28-for-68), but their top deep threat is senior guard Chris Ashby, who has sunk 80 of 232 tries (.345, fifth in ASUN). Ashby is second in the league averaging 3.2 made threes per game. On defense, Queens features the nation's leading shot blocker in seven-footer Malcolm Wilson. The fifth-year forward, in his second season in Charlotte after three with Georgetown, is averaging a whopping 3.5 per game, half a block more than the next closest players. He is also Queens' top rebounder at 5.6 per game, 13^th in the ASUN.
 
Davenport on the Royals
"Queens comes into our only meeting with them with an outstanding 8-4 ASUN record in year three of their transition from Division II, including a 4-1 record on the road. They had quality returnees and tremendous additions to their roster. As a team, they shoot the ball at a high rate and rebound the ball as a team at a very high level. A team coached by Grant Leonard always competes at a high level." –Bellarmine head coach Scott Davenport
 
About West Georgia
West Georgia (NET No. 344), in their first season transitioning from Division II to Division I, is 4-21 overall and 2-10 in the ASUN. They will pay Eastern Kentucky a visit on Thursday before heading to Louisville. The Wolves went 27-6 last season in their final campaign at the D-II level, making it to the second round of the NCAA II Tournament as a 2-seed before falling to 3-seed Florida Southern in overtime.
 
Junior forward Shelton Williams-Dryden is the player to watch for the Wolves, averaging a team-best 16.5 points (fourth in the ASUN), 7.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals. His .559 field goal percentage ranks 34^th in the nation as 163 of his 173 field goal attempts have come inside the arc.
 
Davenport on the Wolves
"West Georgia, being new to the ASUN, comes with an excellent Division II pedigree and was well prepared for their transition to Division I. In my opinion, they are building their roster in a very favorable fashion. They only have three seniors and are learning and improving every game—and it shows. They have proven to be successful with quality wins against Austin Peay and North Florida." –Scott Davenport
 
Last Week
Bellarmine dropped road games on their Duval Country trip, 95-88 at North Florida and 73-64 at Jacksonville. Jack Karasinski scored a career-high 28 points on 11-of-17 shooting at UNF, but the Ospreys would prevail after a back-and-forth second half. UNF hit 27 of 28 free throw attempts while Bellarmine went 9 for 14 at the charity stripe. Against Jacksonville, freshman guard Tyler Doyle scored a career-high 17 points and matched career highs with five assists and three steals. Jacksonville led 35-32 at the break and opened the second half with a 12-3 run. The Knights would threaten, getting to within four with 4:18 left, but the Dolphins would go on a 9-2 run to put the game out of reach.
 
Freshman Standout
True freshman guard Tyler Doyle scored a career-high 17 points Saturday at Jacksonville and has now reached double-digit points in three consecutive games for the first time in his career. He scored 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting Thursday at North Florida to follow up a 15 point performance at Lipscomb. He has also handed out a career-high five assists in each of the past two game. The Lexington Catholic product has started 17 of 25 games for the Knights and leads the team with his .578 field goal percentage.
 
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