Queens celebrates its seniors with a big win over Kennesaw State

 

Senior AJ McKee paced the Royals with 25 points in his final home game as a Royal Friday night.  (Photo:  Queens Athletics)

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CHARLOTTE – There’s no place like home.

For Queens, that has definitely proven to be the mantra this season. The Royals had won 10 of their 13 games played inside Curry Arena in the 2023-24 campaign entering Friday night, and the final game of the season allowed the Royal fans to send off three of their favorite sons one last time.

AJ McKee, BJ McLaurin, and Kalib Mathews have called this place home for many wonderful memories in Queens basketball, including a 30-4 campaign two seasons ago that saw the Royals reach a Division II regional final and an emotional last-second decision over Marshall for the first Division I victory in school history. The stars got to add one more great memory in their last game on their home deck.

McKee led five Royals in double figures, tallying 25 points and dishing a team-high six dimes in a game Queens never trailed, with the home side claiming a 91-82 victory over Kennesaw State Friday night.

“I knew they played fast and we got off to a really good start,” Queens coach Grant Leonard said after the game. “I thought we had a really good game plan to attack some certain spots and I thought all of it kind of worked. I was really happy with that. The assistant coaches put together an unbelievable game plan and strategy to attack some of the mismatches. We got (guard Simeon) Cottle in foul trouble and (guard Terrell) Burden frustrated, and I think that was the difference in the game.”

Queens (13-18, 7-9 ASUN) set the tone early, getting off to the start Leonard referenced. The Royals opened up a 7-0 lead, only for the visiting Owls to quickly slice it to one on the strength of two Demond Robinson triples. Rangie Gordon used a personal five-point run to square the game at 13. That would be the last time the sides would be even, though.

The Royals quickly ripped off a 13-3 burst to take a 10-point lead, fueled by a McKee trey and two from Chris Ashby. Kennesaw State (15-15, 6-10 ASUN) pulled back within eight after a Burden three, only for Queens to respond with another 10-3 stretch to swell the lead to 15. The Owls scored six in a row to slice it to nine, but the Royals again grew the advantage to 13 at the interval.

The second half played out very similarly to the first. Queens quickly extended the lead back to 18 by scoring nine of the first 14 points, including a massive dunk from Jacobi Sebock.

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The Royals would eventually stretch the lead as far as 21, bolstered by the great play on both ends from nearly their entire roster. Queens poured in 33 bench points and got key minutes from several reserves in sealing the victory.

“(They did) a phenomenal job defensively,” Leonard said in referencing his bench. “(Center) Malcolm (Wilson) was in one ball-screen coverage and BJ was in another, and that really gave Burden fits, which is really important. Malcolm had a couple huge blocks. Jacobi did a great job on both ends. (Guard) Kobe (George) – I knew because Kalib was hurt and (guard) Logan (Threatt) was hurt that he had to be ready to play, and I thought he did a phenomenal job defensively on Burden.”

Of course, Ashby was another key element to the Royals’ evening. The Houston native booked his third 20-point tally of the season, draining six triples in the process. Ashby drained four shots from bonus range in the second stanza, including one that swelled the lead to 21 and forced a stoppage.

“I kind of licked my chops any time they went zone,” Leonard said. “He had a couple looks in the first half. Chris shot the ball with a lot of confidence and I’m really happy for him. I knew he was due for a six or seven-make game here soon.”

McKee and McLaurin both finished their Queens careers in double figures. Though Mathews could not play due to injury, the trio went out in a manner befitting the contributions they have given to the university.

“They’ve meant so much,” Leonard said. “AJ has been here five years, Kalib four, and BJ three, with multiple degrees between them. More importantly, the way they handle themselves on campus and how they represent the institution and our team – it’s been amazing.”

“I’m proud of those guys for all they’ve accomplished – the 30-win seasons, the conference championships, all the firsts in Division I. What they’ve really done for all the student-athletes here is shown they can compete at this level.”

“This place means a lot to me, because they took a chance on me when nobody else would coming out of high school,” McKee said. “Coach Grant and (now-Milwaukee coach Bart) Lundy always stayed with me and stayed in my corner to get me to the point where I am now.”

“My family means a lot to me because it’s just been us. It’s always been me and my family. Their coming out and my playing the way I did on my last home game gives me a warm feeling inside.”

McKee led the Royals and all scorers with 25 points, hitting five triples as part of his total. Four additional Queens scorers finished in double figures, with Ashby adding 20 on six threes. Guard Deyton Albury booked 14 on 6-for-14 shooting, with Sebock contributing 11 and McLaurin adding 10. Queens shot 32-for-72 (44.4 percent) and hit 12 threes as part of its total. The Royals knocked down 15-of-20 from the line.

Jamel King topped the Kennesaw scorers with 21 points, finding the net on 5-of-9 tries from beyond the arc. Robinson and Cottle chipped in 13 apiece, putting home a combined 9-for-18 tries from the deck. The Owls also hit 44.4 percent (28-for-63) of their attempts, also knocking down 12 triples. The Owls shot just 58.3 percent (14-for-24) from the stripe.

Both teams advance to the ASUN conference tournament, with action starting Monday. Kennesaw State travels to Richmond, Ky., and will be the ninth seed. The Owls will take on tenth-seeded Jacksonville Monday night at 7:00 (Eastern). The game will be streamed on ESPN+, with the winner advancing to take on top-seeded Eastern Kentucky in the next round.

Queens, meanwhile, travels to DeLand, Fla., for its side of the tournament. The Royals will be the eighth seed and do battle with seventh-seeded FGCU. That game will also be streamed on ESPN+, with the winner advancing to a Tuesday battle with second-seeded Stetson.

QUEENS 91, KENNESAW STATE 82

KENNESAW STATE (15-15, 6-10 ASUN)

Robinson 5-10 0-1 13, Burden 3-10 2-6 9, Cottle 4-8 3-4 13, Sherman 0-1 2-2 2, Ademokoya 3-7 2-3 8, Johnson 3-5 1-3 7, King 7-14 2-2 21, Harris 0-1 0-0 0, Gordon 3-7 2-3 9. Totals 28-63 14-24 82.

QUEENS (13-18, 7-9)

McKee 8-20 4-5 25, McLaurin 4-10 2-2 10, Cash 4-6 0-0 8, Albury 6-14 1-3 14, Pollard 0-1 1-2 1, George 1-4 0-0 2, Sebock 3-6 5-6 11, Ashby 6-10 2-2 20, Wilson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 32-72 15-20 91.

Halftime:  Queens 52-39. 3-Point goals:  Kennesaw State 12-29 (Robinson 3-7, Burden 1-3, Cottle 2-4, Ademokoya 0-2, Johnson 0-1, King 5-9, Gordon 1-3), Queens 12-31 (McKee 5-12, McLaurin 0-1, Albury 1-4, George 0-2, Sebock 0-2, Ashby 6-9). Fouled out:  Sherman (KSU).  Rebounds:  Queens 45 (McLaurin/Cash/Sebock 7), Kennesaw State 39 (King 9). Total fouls:  Kennesaw State 21, Queens 20. Technicals:  Pettway (KSU).

Points off turnovers:  Queens 14, Kennesaw State 11.  Points in the paint:  Queens 40, Kennesaw State 32.  Second-chance points:  Queens 11, Kennesaw State 6.  Fast-break points:  Kennesaw State 15, Queens 4.  Bench points:  Kennesaw State 37, Queens 33.