Inside the Numbers: UNCG at Queens

Queens guard Jordan Watford (0) and forward Avantae Parker (6) had huge nights in the Royals' Thursday win over UNCG in the ASUN/SoCon Challenge.  (Photo:  Queens Athletics)

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CHARLOTTE – If shot-making – and a lot of it – is your thing, Thursday night in Charlotte was your night.

Queens and UNC Greensboro combined to hit 65 shots – 21 from distance – in a game where both teams got a workout pulling the ball out of the basket.

Another round of the ASUN-SoCon Challenge led to a 101-94 Queens victory. Now that you know what happened, let’s go…Inside the Numbers!

• Queens point guard Jordan Watford had the best game of his young career. The freshman from Lancaster, S.C., booked 11 points, boarded three misses, helped on six buckets, and was assessed his only turnover on a ball being knocked loose in the paint late in the game. Watford had a 14-to-11 assist-to-turnover ratio coming into the game and did a little bit of everything Thursday night.

“I’m just playing hard trying to find my way and playing hard every possession,” Watford said after the game. “Protecting the ball is a big one too, with me being the point guard full-time now. It’s just another transition from high school.”

“I give a lot (of credit) to G (Queens coach Grant Leonard). G is on me every single day, which is really the reason why I committed here. G is constantly on me letting me know every time I do something. That’s really big for me and has helped me.”

Leonard is a vocal believer in his freshman star.

“His spirit (is better),” Leonard said. “I’ve been getting on him about his practice habits. He probably has the best example in college basketball with Chris Ashby on how to attack every rep – and he’s not there yet – but his spirit, you can just see it. He wants to be coached, he’s asking for the feedback, and he’s trying to improve every single day. If he continues to have that spirit of wanting to be coached and wanting to et better, he’s going to take off and you’re going to see some games like this. You’re going to see some games where he struggles. We’re going to live with it, because we know how special he’s going to be in the end.”

• The teams played part of the first half and all of the second without a shot clock and game clock above the basket under the scoreboard following a monstrous dunk from Queens forward Avantae Parker. The public address announcer called the 15-second, 10-second, and five-second intervals. Both sides agreed to the arrangement.

“I’ve never broken a goal. Nothing like that,” Parker said with a laugh. “I probably almost got a (technical), too. I was just caught up in the moment. I was really hyped. I shook the rim.”

The shot clock briefly worked, but a corner three – hilariously enough, from Parker – put the clock out of service for the remainder of the night.

• UNCG still hasn’t won a game this season, but the young Spartans continue to progress as head coach Mike Jones hoped.

“I loved the way we played tonight,” Jones said. “Compared to maybe the last couple of games, you could see the growth tonight. We’ve just got to build on it. We were able to get up there and score a little bit because we shared the basketball. We moved it. We played with pace on the offensive end and got some good stuff. We played the way we wanted to play on offense. Defensively, it’s just a work in progress.”

“These guys are playing college basketball for the first time. I think probably some of our freshmen broke the 100-minute mark in their careers today, so it’s going to happen for them. They just don’t understand the urgency on (the defensive) end right now. They’re smart guys and they work hard. They’re picking it up.”

• The teams combined for just 10 turnovers in the game. There were only five combined turnovers at the under-8 second-half timeout.

“We’ve just got to value the ball,” Jones said. “If we value the ball and get a shot down, we’ve got a chance to make it. We’ve got some good offensive players. I’m proud of them certainly for (the low turnover number), because Queens is physical. They guard with passion. They’ve got some long-armed guys. They make it tough. They sit in the gaps. I thought our guys did a really good job of drawing fouls, being aggressive and attacking.”

“I think that when we take care of the ball, we’re going to be special offensively,” Leonard countered. “I get on these guys, and they’re growing and they’re getting better. It’s not going to be perfect early in the season. I can honestly say, though, that we’re further ahead this year than we were last year at this point. The biggest thing is growth. I’m so proud of these guys for continuing to grow in that area and taking care of the ball.”

• Parker scored 14 points on 6-of-6 shooting, along with snatching five caroms. The Georgia Southern transfer continues to grow as a force in the post for the Royals.

“I take a lot of pride – especially on the defensive end,” Parker said. “That’s the most important part to me, because I don’t ever know if my offense is going to be clicking or what may happen in the game. Making sure I’m ready defensively every night – that’s the biggest thing for me.”

• Like Parker, Justin Neely had a strong night for UNCG. The Albany transfer hit 6-of-10 shots from the field and scored 19 points alongside his eight boards. Jones noted Neely’s impact after the game.

“He’s been a rock steady guy for us all year,” Jones said. “He’s just really savvy and can do multiple things. He’s not just an in close to the basket guy. He can handle it on the perimeter and makes good decisions.”

Neely’s 19 points were a season-high.

• Freshman guard KJ Younger stood out in his return trip to Charlotte. The first-year Spartan hit 7-of-9 tries from the field and 6-of-9 from the line to finish with a career-high 22.

“He was excited to play here, obviously, near home,” Jones said of the freshman who played at Weddington High School in nearby Matthews. “I thought he played with great poise on the offensive end. He wasn’t very good defensively, but we’ll get him there on that. I was pleased with the way he played on the offensive end – (he played) under control and took what the defense gave him without forcing it.”

• The ASUN/SoCon Challenge wrapped up for UNCG with the game tonight. Jones was happy for the opportunity, despite the challenging assignments the young Spartans drew.

“It would have been great if we didn’t have to play the number-one picked team,” Jones said with a laugh. “It ended up being a good challenge for us, because in order the win the SoCon, you’ve got to beat a team like this on their home floor or at home. It helps us so much. It’s hard to schedule games, as you know, at our level. To be able to play these games, one at home and one on the road, is awesome.”

• The game matched Leonard and Jones, two great friends. Leonard commented after the game on his relationship with Jones.

“I just want to give a shoutout to the Greensboro team,” Leonard said. “I know they’re struggling right now, but I can tell you this:  I have the utmost respect for Greensboro’s program, their culture, and how hard they fight. Mike Jones – especially when we were Division II – Mike Jones always gave our program the utmost respect when a lot of people didn’t. I consider Mike a friend and a mentor. I know that he’s going to get this team turned around. I’m just glad it wasn’t tonight.”

The two shared a hug and a handshake before and after the game, along with several cordial conversations during the game.

• Finally, Parker was awarded the Buddy the Street Dog statue after the game for his fierce play on both ends of the floor. Parker held the statue throughout the post-game media availability.

“It was all because of his defensive energy and stops,” Leonard said. “He guarded the ball. He guarded their best player. He held that player in check whenever he had that matchup, and I thought they shied away from going at him throughout the game. It wasn’t even a choice for me. The street dog of the day goes to Avantae.”

Hustle Stats:

Queens:  1.603 points per possession (63 trips), 66.7% scoring, 9.5% turnovers

UNCG:  1.382 points per possession (66 trips), 66.2% scoring, 5.9% turnovers

QUEENS 101, UNCG 94

UNCG (0-5)

Pinedo 4-8 2-6 10, Neely 6-10 6-8 19, Whitehead 5-12 3-3 14, Younger 7-9 6-9 22, Marville 3-8 4-6 11, Norgaard 2-3 0-0 4, Kauzonas 4-6 3-4 11, Efinda 0-0 0-0 0, King 1-2 0-0 3. Totals 32-57 24-36 94.

QUEENS (3-3)

Parker 6-6 1-1 14, Watford 6-9 1-1 13, Mann 3-10 6-6 12, Ashby 5-14 3-4 18, Berman 4-10 7-8 17, Larson 3-4 1-1 8, Jabriel 3-3 0-0 9, Schwieger 3-5 0-0 9, Clark 0-1 1-2 1. Totals 33-62 20-23 101.

Halftime:  Queens 51-39. 3-Point goals:  Queens 15-32 (Parker 1-1, Mann 0-3, Ashby 5-12, Berman 2-5, Larson 1-2, Jabriel 3-3, Schwieger 3-3), UNCG 6-17 (Neely 1-1, Whitehead 1-7, Younger 2-3, Marville 1-3, Norgaard 0-1, King 1-2). Fouled out:  NA.  Rebounds:  Queens 36 (Berman 6), UNCG 27 (Pinedo 7). Total fouls:  Queens 24, UNCG 18). Technicals:  Berman (QUC).

Points off turnovers:  UNCG 5, Queens 2.  Points in the paint:  UNCG 46, Queens 36. Second-chance points:  UNCG 14, Queens 12.  Fast-break points:  Queens 5, UNCG 3.  Bench points:  Queens 27, UNCG 18.