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.
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