At 10-2, Marist is enjoying best start in decades, but focused on gradual progress

Josh Pascarelli (5) has helped shoot Marist to best start in over a quarter-century. Red Foxes are 10-2 heading into Sunday’s game against Quinnipiac. (Photo by Jaylen Rizzo/Marist Athletics)

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — As the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference becomes more unpredictable year in and year out, the success John Dunne has had this year at Marist—to—this point may be incredibly fitting.

Dunne, the longest-tenured coach in the MAAC between 12 seasons at Saint Peter’s and six-plus at his current employer, has guided the Red Foxes to a 10-2 start, the program’s best since the 1998-99 season, the school’s second in the MAAC after leaving the Northeast Conference. Marist’s 3-0 beginning to conference play is also its first since 2001-02, a stretch that looks to be furthered Sunday when Quinnipiac comes to McCann Arena.

With a veteran core headlined by sophomore guards Josh Pascarelli and Jadin Collins-Roberts, Dunne has added supporting pieces and developed most of his role players from a season ago. In addition, Marist has improved enough offensively to where its efficiency on that side of the basketball would be the third-highest of any Dunne team in Poughkeepsie or at Saint Peter’s. And according to Collins-Roberts, the culture of consistency is the reservoir from which players and coaches have tapped into on an everyday basis.

“Honestly, one of the biggest things, I think, is the confidence that comes from each teammate,” he said. The returning guys like Jackson (Price), (Jaden Daughtry), Trace (Salton), people like that, give Josh confidence. If he misses the first 10 shots, whatever it is, we’re gonna tell him to shoot the 11th. We don’t really care. That’s a big part of it.”

“These two guys right here, they’ve been extremely mature from day one,” Dunne said of Collins-Roberts and Pascarelli. “The first day of summer school, they showed their maturity, and not only are they good players, they’re both winners on and off the court. They’ve got high character. I can coach them extremely hard and they respond positively every time. Most guys nowadays, when you coach them hard or you tell them something, you have to convince them why you’re saying what you’re saying. With these two, it’s like, ‘yes, Coach’ and ‘I’m gonna get better next play and move on.’ And they’ve done that from day one into where they are right now.”

Long reputed for playing one of the slower paces in the country year in and year out, Marist is still only averaging around 65 possessions per game, but the transition game has been more prevalent for the Red Foxes this season. The uptick in getting out in the open floor has been partially by design with the personnel improvements made in the offseason, but also a byproduct of the versatility of the roster and its adaptability to win games in various styles.

“We’d like to get shooters shots in transition, get Josh shots in transition,” Dunne admitted. “We’d like to get Elijah (Lewis) open in space, and then when (Collins-Roberts) gets out in transition in the open court, playing with a high level of confidence, he’s finishing and making great decisions. I think transition suits us well, but we’re okay either way. If we don’t have looks in transition, we’ve got some shorter sets, we’ve got some longer sets, whatever the game calls for. I think we’ve got a little more ball handling, a little more playmaking this year, so it’s easier to get out in transition when you’ve got more playmaking as well.”

“Listen, we’ve won different games different ways this year. We’ve won some slugfests defensively, we’ve won some games in the open court. We’re just trying to get better every day and hopefully play our best basketball in March.”

Dunne has seen more than his share of teams who have peaked too soon, and refuses to get too caught up in his team’s record at the moment. The coach admitted he had not developed a keen enough sense of the conference at large yet, simply going one game at a time with his own unit.

“Kill ’em by one, man, that’s all,” Dunne said. “We just want to win the game any way possible. We’ve just gotta bring a confidence level on offense, keep working on the stuff we need to keep working on, and a defense that makes multiple efforts. The one thing about these guys, regardless of how I’m coaching them, they never feel like they’re out of a game. They never panic. It starts with (Pascarelli and Collins-Roberts) right here, and Daughtry’s really grown up as a player. Jackson Price is extremely mature, you add Elijah Lewis, who’s coachable and is extremely mature, and the bench that’s accepting their roles right now, so we just gotta stay the course, man.”

“We’re not gonna get caught up in the record, but they deserve to be 10-2. We’ve got a long way to go, but it starts with these two guys. We’ve got a high-character group. I would say this, I’ve been saying it the last week or so: When you have a team that buys into coaching, constructive criticism, that has a growth mindset, that does well academically, that cares about one another and plays selfless basketball, from a coach’s standpoint, you don’t take that for granted. I’m blessed to be coaching, and I’m enjoying this group immensely, regardless of the record. It’s been a pleasure to coach these guys up to this point, and the journey is far from over.”

Simmons shines as Gardner-Webb outlasts Presbyterian

By Jacob Conley (@gwujake)

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. — Kobe Stewart’s three-point heave at the buzzer was offline as Gardner-Webb picked up a huge conference win on its home floor Saturday afternoon, downing Presbyterian, 63-61 at Paul Porter Arena.

Buddy Simmons led GWU with 16 points, including a pair of clutch free throws in the final seconds, to help seal the win.

“This one felt big,” head coach Jeremy Luther said after the game. “After the loss to Charleston Southern, we did not want to go down 0-2 in Big South play. All the conference games are important and the margins between winning and losing in this league are so thin, it’s always good when you end up on the right side of the ledger.”

GWU found success in the paint early, as Jamaine Mann scored and Anthony Selden converted on drives to the basket. Pharrell Boyogueno also hit a triple as the home team had an early 8-6 lead. Shahar Lazar came off the bench to score four quick points, but Stewart hit a deep three to pull Presbyterian to within 12-11. The visitors then got hot from behind the arc and built a 20-15 lead, and led 22-19 at the under-8 media stoppage.

Selden stopped the streak with a drive to the bucket, but Presbyterian hit another three and forced a pair of turnovers that led to easy points as the Blue Hose grew its lead to double digits, at 33-23. Selden scored on a drive to the basket and Isaiah Richards garnered a putback. Simmons then hit a three and scored on a drive to the basket as part of a 10-0 run that tied the game at 33. After Kaleb Scott scored, Simmons beat the buzzer with a floater as the teams entered the locker room tied at 37.

Selden opened the second half with a sweeping hook shot, and Simmons had a fast break layup. Lazar also scored on a putback, as did Richards. By the time Richards threw down a slam, and Boyogueno hit a pair of foul shots, GWU had its largest lead of the game to that point, at 47-39.

Kory Mincy ended the run and the turnover bug bit the Bulldogs. The Blue Hose pulled to within 49-46 before Stewart tied things up at 49 with a deep three with 7:11 left in the contest. After the teams traded baskets, Simmons hit a deep three. Mann followed with a big bucket in the paint as the home team kept its three-point lead, at 57-54, with 3:27 left. Mincy tied the game at 58 with a short jumper, then Boyogueno hit two big free throws on the other end as the advantage kept swinging back-and-forth. Mann grabbed a huge offensive rebound with GWU protecting a two-point lead, and after Simmons hit two foul shots, the home team led, 62-58. Jamahri Harvey hit a circus shot from beyond the arc with four seconds left. Richards was fouled and hit one of two from the stripe to set up Stewart’s heave at the buzzer that went wide right, accounting for the 63-61 final.

The Buddy System: After seeing limited action last season as a freshman, Buddy Simmons has emerged as one of the best players in the Big South as a sophomore. He leads Gardner-Webb with 15.9 points per game, and also tops the team in assists, field goal, and free throw percentage.

“It feels good to impact the game on both the offensive and defensive side,” he said. “I was missing shots early, but I started to find my rhythm there at the end of the first half. As for those foul shots at the end, it’s all about confidence.”

High Praise For PC: Even though they have had some fierce battles over the years, GWU and Presbyterian have had some fierce battles over the years, as they are a pair of programs that have the utmost respect for one another.

“Coach (Quinton) Ferrell does an amazing job,” Luther said. “They have some big wins against some top-quality teams, and then they gave South Carolina all they wanted. They play hard and they have some great shooters. This was a quality win for us.”

(High)Blood Pressure Baptists: Anybody who has seen any Gardner-Webb basketball games this season knows that the Runnin’ Bulldogs have a penchant for close games, causing fans’  blood pressure to skyrocket. In fact, of GWU’s 15 games, ten have been decided by two possessions or less.

“The Big South is a strong league,” Luther said. “I think we are 16th out of 32 conferences as far as RPI. We have some big wins as a conference, and not much separates us from top to bottom. Every game is going to come down to the end I feel like, so buckle up.”

UP NEXT: GWU (6-9, 1-1 Big South) will host Winthrop on Wednesday, while Presbyterian (8-9, 1-1) will travel to play USC Upstate the same evening. Both tips are set for 7 p.m.

Colimerio breaks records as Queens breaks FGCU in wire-to-wire win

 

Queens forward Leo Colimerio set career and Queens single-game bests in Saturday's win over FGCU.  (Photo:  Queens University of Charlotte Athletics)

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CHARLOTTE – A simple smile can say a lot. The smile on Queens forward Leo Colimerio’s face Saturday could have written a trilogy.

The grad transfer from Fresno State did everything but run the concession stand in Curry Arena Saturday. The 6-foot-7 guard/forward tallied a career-high 35 points, set a Queens single-game high, and had arguably the most impactful performance by a Royal in recent memory. Queens started strong, battled through the second half, and finished with a hard-fought, 92-83 victory over Florida Gulf Coast Saturday afternoon in Curry Arena.

“(The performance) just means a lot to me individually,” Colimerio said. “It feels good for the guys. We worked so hard throughout the summer. I’m glad they were able to find me. We’ve been working hard every day, especially at finishing out games. It just feels good that we got the win and protected home court.”

Queens (9-6, 2-0 ASUN) shook off the short turnaround between games and was the aggressor early on. The Royals raced out to a 15-4 lead, with Colimerio booking 10 of the first 12 points for the home side. Queens would compel a pair of FGCU stoppages in the first half, with Eagles coach Pat Chambers pulling every lever to try to halt the Royals’ momentum. A Bryce Cash layup with 7:29 remaining in the half provided the Royals their biggest margin of the day at 17, and FGCU could never close within single digits for the remainder of the half.

Despite the deficit, the tension lingered in the air in the expectation that the visiting Eagles would make a run. The process started with the first second-half possession.

FGCU (6-9, 1-1) opened the period by feeding Keeshawn Kellman in the post. Kellman connected on a short jumper and a layup to snip the Queens lead to eight a minute and a half into the period. Kellman’s Queens counterpart, Malcolm Wilson, put home a layup to extend the lead back to 11. That comfort would be short-lived.

FGCU unfurled a 14-4 burst over the next 5:15, trimming the Queens advantage to a perilous point at 60-59 with 11:45 remaining. Colimerio had the answer on the other end, getting a layup to again put Queens ahead by three. The sides would continue trading blows, with the Queens margin hovering between one and six points for minutes.

Queens faced a similar flurry in its league opener Thursday night against Stetson, preaching patience and positivity throughout the run. The answer Saturday was nearly identical.

“We don’t change what we do,” head coach Grant Leonard said. “We make small adjustments, but really, it’s about needing to get back to who we are (during runs).”

“We just have our philosophy of playing harder than everybody else, especially at home,” Colimerio added. “I feel we did a really good job overall.”

One of those challenges came with Queens tightly gripping an 80-77 advantage inside of four minutes to play. Jaxon Pollard took the ball for Queens and went coast-to-coast, finishing through contact and putting his side ahead by five. On the ensuing possession, Colimerio pilfered the ball from Kellman under the Royals’ bucket and put home a layup to extend the lead to seven.

“I just feel I’ve got to do better on the defensive end,” Colimerio said. “Like (Leonard) says, if you play hard, the basketball gods are going to reward you. I just felt that play rewarded me after a missed shot.”

“Leo’s getting better and better and more comfortable offensively, but it’s the defensive plays that always end up winning games,” Leonard said. “It’s the loose balls, it’s the rebounds and the box-outs. I thought that was the difference in the game. Our physicality boxing out in the first half really shocked them.”

Pollard would then convert on a bucket that put Queens ahead by nine. FGCU could never recover from the final flurry, drawing no closer than six points before the final horn.

“I asked our leaders in the group text if we could really be locked in today,” Leonard said. “I thought our shootaround was excellent. The maturity for them to be able to really turn it on and really focus – I thought we were really locked in today.”

Colimerio finished with 37 points on 13-for-16 shooting (6-for-8 from distance), setting both career and Queens single-game highs. Colimerio’s prior career high of 30 came for Fresno State against UNLV in February of 2024. The Queens single-game best eclipses that of former star guard Kenny Dye, who logged 34 on February 16, 2023, at Jacksonville State. Colimerio also pulled in three rebounds while avoiding any turnovers on the day.

Cash contributed 11, hitting 4-of-9 from the field while hauling in five boards and dishing three dimes. Wilson faced arguably his most physical challenge of the year in battling Kellman but did stellar work in doing so. Wilson scored 10 points on 5-for-5 from the field, grabbing seven caroms and turning away five FGCU shots in a performance that Colimerio called “amazing”.

“If you could say a perfect game for Malcolm, that would probably be it,” Leonard said. “I thought he was phenomenal. They went at him in the start of the second half and he didn’t get rattled. They tried to go at him again and he blocked one late, and they stopped going at him. I’m proud of Malcolm. I just don’t think people understand how much progress he’s made as a player and the confidence it’s given him. I don’t know that anyone in our league has anyone like Malcolm. That kind of lob threat with that kind of rim protection – he changes our team.”

Queens shot 51.7 percent (31-for-60) on the day, adding 12-of-29 (41.4 percent) from deep. The Royals start ASUN play 2-0 for the first time in their Division I era.

FGCU guard Dallion Johnson paced the Eagles with 22 points, hitting 7-of-15 from the deck and 6-of-13 from beyond the arc. Kellman scored 15 but could manage just six boards while battling foul trouble in his 27 minutes of action. Guard Rahmir Barno added 12 while dishing out nine helpers, though Queens guard Chris Ashby drew praise from Leonard on his defensive effort in limiting Barno.

The Eagles shot 44.8 percent (30-for-67) on the day. 12 of FGCU’s 27 threes (44.4 percent) found the net.

Both teams return to action Thursday night in ASUN play. Queens visits Allen Arena in Nashville to square off with Lipscomb. Game time is set for 8:00 (Eastern). FGCU returns to Alico Arena in Fort Myers to welcome North Alabama. That game is set to tip at 7:00. Both games will be streamed via ESPN+.

QUEENS 92, FGCU 83

FGCU (6-9, 1-1 ASUN)

Stewart 3-6 0-0 9, Kellman 7-13 1-6 15, McLean 3-8 2-3 9, Johnson 7-15 2-2 22, Muniz 3-7 2-2 10, Barno 5-13 2-2 12, Duax 2-5 2-2 6, Guillouette 0-0 0-0 0, Reddick 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-67 11-17 83.

QUEENS (9-6, 2-0)

Colimerio 12-15 5-5 37, Wilson 5-5 0-1 10, Mathews 0-1 2-2 2, Cash 4-9 3-5 11, Ashby 2-11 0-0 6, Pollard 3-7 2-3 8, Mann 1-4 2-3 5, Jabriel 1-3 2-2 5, Berman 2-4 0-0 6, Anderson 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 31-60 18-23 92.

Halftime:  Stetson 41-39. 3-Point goals:  Stetson 13-29 (Massey 1-2, Wood 4-8, Phillips 0-1, Ellison 4-6, Gross 0-1, Canka 2-4, Taylor 1-2, Sheridan 0-1, MacGregor 0-1, Sagna 0-1, Alesso 1-1), Queens 12-29 (Colimerio 6-8, Ashby 2-10, Cash 0-1, Pollard 1-4, Berman 1-2, Mann 1-3, Jabriel 1-1). Fouled out:  NA.  Rebounds:  Queens 33 (Cash 7), Stetson 23 (Massey 6). Total fouls:  Stetson 23, Queens 22. Technicals:  NA

Points off turnovers:  Queens 19, Stetson 10.  Points in the paint:  Queens 36, Stetson 26. Second-chance points:  Stetson 7, Queens 5.  Fast-break points:  Queens 22, Stetson 14.  Bench points:  Stetson 29, Queens 29.

 

Hofstra’s anniversary party thwarted by William & Mary as Pride drops CAA opener

Jaquan Sanders led Hofstra with 15 points Thursday, but Pride dropped CAA opener to William & Mary. (Photo by Matteo Bracco/Hofstra Athletics)

By Jason Dimaio (@Jaydimaio)

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — Five years ago to the day Thursday, Hofstra celebrated the 20th anniversary of its debut at what is now the Mack Sports Complex, but the Pride suffered a 27-point loss to William & Mary.

Hofstra welcomed the same Tribe program to Long Island again Thursday to mark the silver milestone for its on-campus arena, but history repeated itself.

Despite opening the game on a 10-2 run, the Pride saw Jaquan Sanders’ back-to-back threes answered by a torrid display of marksmanship as William & Mary turned back the hosts in a 74-56 decision that served as the Coastal Athletic Association opener for both sides.

“I have no thoughts on it,” head coach Speedy Claxton assessed with regard to the momentous occasion. “We’re focusing on the next game.”

Claxton can be forgiven for wanting to have a short memory Thursday, as Hofstra (8-6, 0-1 CAA) dropped its third straight as William & Mary responded to the Pride’s opening salvo with a staggering 46-8 onslaught. The Tribe led by as many as 30 points in a first half that saw Claxton use all four of his timeouts as he looked for whatever spark he could find to ignite his team. The length of William & Mary presented problems throughout the evening for Hofstra, who was forced to try to keep the visitors at bay from beyond the arc as the Tribe packed the paint. The attempt was in vain, as the Pride’s three leading scorers—Sanders, Cruz Davis, and Jean Aranguren—shot a combined 11-for-42 from the field.

After the intermission, Hofstra kept a good effort, cutting its deficit to 15 midway through the second half. That was as close as the Pride would get, however, as William & Mary scored the next six points after that to ice the outcome in comfortable fashion. TJ Gadsden and Joshua DeCady were among the bright spots for Claxton’s unit Thursday, with the pair combining for 18 points and missing just one shot in a productive second half. DeCady was the most efficient Hofstra player Thursday, recording a plus-14. Claxton hinted at trying to find more minutes for him, as well as Gadsden, on a night where he chalked up the Pride’s effort as making the best of what the Tribe had given his team.

“I don’t think we were settling,” he said. “Those were the shots that they were giving us. You have to step up and make the shot. Our guys have to shoot the ball with confidence. We gotta just get in the gym, get up extra shots and get to game speed. If those are shots that the defense is going to give you, you have to step up and make them.”

Hofstra will look to right the ship in fairly short order, when the Pride returns to action Saturday at Northeastern. Tipoff from Boston is set for 12 p.m.

Queens gets great nights from Colimerio and Ashby in conference-opening win over Stetson

 

Queens forward Leo Colimerio led the Royals with 27 points in Thursday's ASUN opener win over Stetson.  (Photo:  Queens University of Charlotte Athletics)

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CHARLOTTE – After 20 minutes of play in the ASUN conference opener, Queens found itself trailing, 41-39, against two-win Stetson. This might have induced panic in some teams.

Queens coach Grant Leonard had a different – though consistent – message for his side:  Patience.

The message clearly paid off. Queens started the second half by hitting seven of its first eight shots and turned away every challenge from a game Stetson team, taking a 96-87 decision in the conference lid-lifter Thursday night at Curry Arena.

“I actually told our guys we were going to wear them down. I thought we were in better physical shape,” Leonard said. “The first nine minutes (of the game) we had 11 points, and after that, we really started getting to our spots and stopped turning it over. We just started to feel comfortable.”

The Royals may have gotten comfortable as the second half got underway, but that was certainly not the case early on. Stetson (2-12, 0-1 ASUN) canned four threes in the game’s first seven minutes, riding the 1-2 scoring punch of Mekhi Ellison and Jordan Wood to a quick 18-6 advantage. Queens (8-6, 1-0) slowly began to chip away. Five of the next seven Royal shots found the net, slicing the deficit by greater than half.

Forward Leo Colimerio would continue the home side’s surge, sticking back-to-back triples that provided Queens a 29-28 lead with 4:49 to go in the first half. After the visiting Hatters leveled the table at 36, they pushed out to a five-point advantage that Chris Ashby sliced to just a pair with a three with 1:11 left in the first half.

Queens took on the role of the aggressor out of the break. Ashby gave the Royals a one-point lead with a three, followed by a Colimerio bucket, a layup from Kalib Mathews, and another Ashby trifecta that put the Royals ahead by six. Ashby was afforded a number of rhythm looks due to his team’s offensive aggression, and he capitalized by tying a school record with eight made threes.

“Chris is Chris,” Leonard said. “Shooters gotta shoot. I tell him we want to get him 12 threes a game. He took 13, so one more than we asked him to. The only time I ever yell at Chris is when he doesn’t shoot. He’s doing an unbelievable job. I’ve seen his game get better and better every year. I’m just proud of Chris for the effort he puts in.”

Queens took a six-point advantage to the under-12 timeout. Stetson, though, would have another answer.

The Hatters tore off a 9-0 run, charged by threes from Abramo Canka and Andrew Taylor and an and-one from Wood that put Stetson ahead by three. The sides would then trade the lead back and forth, with neither side able to separate by more than a possession or two for nearly seven minutes.

If the game were a heavyweight fight, Queens would score the TKO in the penultimate round.

Ellison sank a three to again bring Stetson within three at 82-79 with 3:28 remaining. Queens would counter that perilous thinning of its lead. Jaxon Pollard hit a three. Ashby hit a three. Colimerio put home a layup and sank a pair of free throws. The crowd could finally exhale a bit, as Queens opened up a 13-point margin. Stetson could never recover, and drew no closer than seven points the rest of the contest.

“I’ve seen a lot of growth from the first game to this game,” Leonard said. “(I’ve seen growth in) rebounding, loose balls, and ball security. I think we had four turnovers in the second half, and that’s the recipe to winning in conference play.”

To Leonard’s point, though Queens recorded 12 miscues, Stetson could only convert those into 10 points, owing to the Royals’ quickness and stamina. Queens booked 19 points off 13 Hatter turnovers.

The effort and energy of the night was not lost on Ashby.

“We just play for each other,” Ashby said. “That’s really big for our team. We love each other and celebrate each other’s successes. I think this is going to help us a lot.”

Ashby and Colimerio both had career nights. Colimerio logged 27 points for the second time in three games, while Ashby’s eight threes all came at key times on the way to his equaling the school record for made threes in a game. The Royals shot 43 percent from deep and made 12 threes, adding to their 53.6 percent (30-for-56) ledger on the night.

“I saw they were switching everything,” Ashby said. “I was trying to read the defense. Sometimes they were staying with me. I knew that if I set screens, I would get myself open.”

Guard Kalib Mathews also finished in doubles for Queens, logging 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting and helping on five buckets. Leonard also credited Mathews with his defensive activity on Ellison, as the Royals limited him to just four field goal attempts in the second half. The Queens bench also added 29 points in reserve duty, earning plaudits from Leonard.

“I thought they were excellent,” Leonard said of his bench. “(Forward) Maban (Jabriel) has been coming on for a while. I thought he made a lot of key plays. (Forward Yoav) Berman is really shooting the ball well for the season. He does a lot of really good things for us. (Forward) Jaxon (Pollard) has been so rock solid for us. I think they’re really understanding what their roles are and what their strengths are.  I think that, as we’re playing teams, we’re more experienced this year for the first time ever in Division I.”

Wood and Ellison were responsible for much of the Hatters’ offense. The duo booked 48 points on the night, knocking down 13-of-23 tries from the field and hitting eight combined threes. Wood’s 25 were accompanied by three boards, while Ellison knocked down all seven free throw tries as part of his 23. Canka tallied 12 and Josh Massey 10 for the Hatters, who shot 48.2 percent (27-for-56) on the game. Stetson drained 13 triples of their own on 29 tries (44.8 percent).

Both teams return to play Saturday afternoon. Queens hosts Florida Gulf Coast in Curry Arena, with tip time set for 1:00 (Eastern). Stetson travels to West Georgia for a 2:00 tip from The Arena in Carrollton, Ga. Both games will be streamed via ESPN+.

QUEENS 96, STETSON 87

STETSON (2-12, 0-1 ASUN)

Massey 4-9 1-2 10, Wood 7-13 7-9 25, Phillips 0-2 0-0 0, Ellison 6-10 7-7 23, Gross 0-1 0-0 0, Canka 4-7 2-3 12, Taylor 1-3 1-2 4, Sheridan 3-5 0-0 6, MacGregor 1-3 2-2 4, Sagna 0-1 0-0 0, Alesso 1-2 0-0 3. Totals 27-56 20-25.

QUEENS (8-6, 1-0)

Colimerio 8-11 9-10 27, Wilson 1-3 1-2 3, Mathews 5-7 0-0 11, Cash 1-4 0-0 2, Ashby 8-13 0-0 24, Pollard 2-5 1-2 6, Berman 1-2 2-3 4, Mann 1-4 5-8 7, Jabriel 3-7 2-2 8, Anderson 0-0 4-4 4. Totals 30-56 24-31 96.

Halftime:  Stetson 41-39. 3-Point goals:  Stetson 13-29 (Massey 1-2, Wood 4-8, Phillips 0-1, Ellison 4-6, Gross 0-1, Canka 2-4, Taylor 1-2, Sheridan 0-1, MacGregor 0-1, Sagna 0-1, Alesso 1-1), Queens 12-28 (Colimerio 2-3, Mathews 1-3, Ashby 8-13, Pollard 1-2, Berman 0-1, Mann 0-2, Jabriel 0-4). Fouled out:  NA.  Rebounds:  Queens 33 (Cash 7), Stetson 23 (Massey 6). Total fouls:  Stetson 23, Queens 22. Technicals:  NA

Points off turnovers:  Queens 19, Stetson 10.  Points in the paint:  Queens 36, Stetson 26. Second-chance points:  Stetson 7, Queens 5.  Fast-break points:  Queens 22, Stetson 14.  Bench points:  Stetson 29, Queens 29.

 

Inside the Numbers: USC Upstate at Winthrop

Winthrop forward KJ Doucet poured in 20 points in the second half of the Eagles' 95-76, Big South opening victory over USC Upstate Thursday.  (Photo:  Winthrop Athletics/Professional Photography Group)

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ROCK HILL, S.C. – Big South play began for all but one team Thursday. Winthrop struggled to create separation from pesky USC Upstate – until one simple segment changed everything.

Now that I’ve told you the Eagles won, we need to dive into how they won, 95-76. Let’s go…Inside the Numbers!

• Let’s dissect the segment to which I referred. Andrew McConnell splashed a triple for Upstate to square the game at 66 with 10 minutes remaining. When Mister Dean made the next Upstate basket, Winthrop saw its lead shrink to 91-69. Dean would score the final six Spartan points, but none of them mattered.
• The Eagles tore off a blinding 25-0 run in the midst of the second half, with KJ Doucet making buckets to start and close the spurt. Winthrop made eight of nine tries during the segment, shoving away the visitors. Upstate dangled perilously close to danger for much of the second half, as it could never grow its lead past eight at any point in the game. The inability of Upstate to string stops – Winthrop collected 1.377 points per possession on 69 trips – doomed the Spartans.
• Winthrop again struggled from distance, hitting just six of 19 (31.6 percent) behind the arc. That, of course, didn’t really matter, given that the Eagles were an absolutely stupid 28-of-37 (75.7 percent) from two-point range. Winthrop also got to the line a lot – as usual – and didn’t shoot it great from there – again, as usual – in hitting 67.7 percent (21-for-31).
• Winthrop scored on 65.2 percent of its trips. I don’t have the numbers to confirm it, but that has to be their top output against a Division I team this season. If not, it’s close.
• Fouls were a significant storyline for the already-thin Spartans. Upstate had both Breylin Garcia and Mister Dean foul out after playing much of the second half with four apiece. Isaiah Skinner tallied four, while Nic Book and Brit Harris had three each. Any team that can somehow figure out how to both keep Winthrop from getting downhill and defend them without fouling stands a chance.  Otherwise, forget it.
• Doucet went off in the second 20. The Austell, Ga., native had just two points in the opening stanza, making just one of his three tries. He got more looks in the second, making almost every one of them. Doucet’s 7-of-8 performance in the period gave him 22 points on the night. Doucet also hauled in 11 caroms to record his second double-double in as many games, following a 14-point, 12-board effort at Indiana over the weekend.
• Dean and guard Carmelo Adkins were the key performers for the Spartans in the second period. The pair booked 20 of Upstate’s 37 second-half points, making 6-of-11 tries. The rest of the roster was just 6-for-19 (31.6 percent) in the half.
• Upstate struggled to get to the line but found success when it did. The Spartans were 14-of-16 (87.5 percent) from the stripe.
• Winthrop predicates its offense on creating paint touches. The Eagles did that all afternoon, outscoring the Spartans by a striking 56-32 margin in the garnet. This should ease the sting of Winthrop’s 13-12 offensive rebounds deficit in the contest.
• Five Eagles finished in doubles. Kelton Talford led everybody with yet another double-double, logging 25 points and 12 boards. Doucet’s double-double was close behind. Nick Johnson scored 16 on 5-of-8 from the deck, while Kasen Harrison poured in 14 on 6-of-10. Paul Jones was 5-of-8 (2-for-5 from deep) to finish with 12 for Winthrop, who shot 60.7 percent (34-of-56).
• Upstate placed four in double figures. Dean’s 17 paced the Spartan attack, with seven of his 12 attempts circling home. Adkins contributed 14 despite just a 4-for-12 shooting day, while McConnell and Skinner added 11 apiece. Upstate shot 40 percent from the field (26-of-65) and three (10-of-25).

UP NEXT:  Winthrop (11-5, 1-0 Big South) travels to the Dedmon Center in Radford, Va., to take on the Radford Highlanders. Tip time in the New River Valley is set for 4:30pm Saturday, with streaming coverage on ESPN+ and radio on WRAD (Radford) and 90s on 94.3 (Rock Hill). Upstate (4-12, 0-1) returns to action six days from today, hosting nearby rival Presbyterian. Tip time for the Spartans and Blue Hose is set for 7:00 on Wednesday, Jan. 8, inside the Hodge Center in Spartanburg.