Inside the Numbers: Gardner-Webb at Queens

 

Queens guard Chris Ashby and his family pose with Royals coach Grant Leonard before Wednesday's win over Gardner-Webb. (Photo:  Brian Wilmer/Daly Dose of Hoops)

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CHARLOTTE – On a Wednesday evening when Queens honored one of its longest-standing stars, a new standout shined, a returning leader set the pace, and a first-year player earned a special honor.

Queens placed five scorers in double figures while turning in two 50-point halves and racing past regional rival Gardner-Webb, 107-74.

You know what happened. The time, then, has obviously arrived to go…Inside the Numbers!

• Queens coach Grant Leonard has spent much of his tenure with the Royals emphasizing that the ball needs to move crisply in the offense for the team to be successful. There was no doubt that this was the case Wednesday. Queens made a dizzying 41 baskets, with help coming on 23 of those shots. The Royals took advantage of their pace and spacing to create great shots.

“23 assists – I think that is special,” Leonard said. “I knew they were going to switch, so we were prepared for how they were going to defend us. Really, our entire offense is predicated on taking what the defense gives them, so if they overhelp, a lot of times, the kicks are going to be there. For us, it’s just about making the right reads.”

“I’ve got (teammates) rolling to the basket every time,” guard Nas Mann added. “If I’m not getting downhill to score or playing off two feet and get some to my teammates, they’re going to be wide open. (The credit) really goes to the bigs. Every single time, they get out of screens.”

• Mann finished with 20 points, just two away from besting his career-high that he logged earlier this season at Villanova. Mann knocked down 8-of-12 shots and snagged six misses while adding three triples.

“It really is just playing with effort,” Mann said after the game. “We knew it was going to be a great game for transition, and that’s something we excel at. All I did was just run the floor and stayed in the shots that I shoot every day.”

• Gardner-Webb put Queens into some different defensive looks, including several different presses.

“I was mad the first time (we were pressed) when Jordan Watford turned it over,” Leonard said. “After that, I thought we got the ball out on their traps and we were able to attack. I think the biggest thing when you play pressing teams and they’re going to put two on the ball at 80 feet, you’ve got to take advantage of it in the full court and try to score. The entire goal is to get two guys on the ball, whether it’s half-court or full-court. We’re going to invite it, and our guys are going to get the ball and make the right play.”

Gardner-Webb also used some zone looks against the Royals just as they did the year prior in Boiling Springs. Leonard was happy with how his team handled the zone.

“(They’re the) first team that’s played zone on us all year, and I thought we didn’t hesitate. We carved it up,” Leonard said.

• Freshman guard Isaiah Henry was awarded the Buddy the Street Dog statue for his play Wednesday night. Henry played 14 minutes and scored nine points, grabbed three rebounds, and dished two helpers while finishing plus-18 for the game.

“The best part about coaching – you know that you have a team full of guys and everyone can’t get what they want. Everyone sacrifices for each other,” Leonard said. “At first, Isaiah just wasn’t ready. He wasn’t ready to make the right decisions, but we just – and the guys told him – to stay positive and be ready, that his time was coming. Now, the last three games, he’s played really well and solidified himself in our rotation, and he’s going to have a great second half of the year. We all love him and know how good he is. He’s got a lot of talent.”

• The Queens interior defense earned kudos from Leonard. The Royals held the Runnin’ Bulldogs to 28 points in the paint and an even more impressive 17-for-47 (36.2 percent) from two-point range.

“We’re making huge steps defensively with protecting the rim,” Leonard said. “I thought we did a great job with that.”

• Queens forward Avantae Parker also received plaudits for both his defense and offense.

“Defensively, he’s getting better and better, and he’s going to be the anchor of our defense and protect our rim. We’re proud of the steps he’s making. You’re going to keep seeing him have nights like this, where he goes 9-for-10 (shooting) and Nas goes 8-for-12, because people are so worried about our shooting from the perimeter.”

• Star guard Chris Ashby was honored before the game for his stellar career and 1,000-plus career points. Ashby tallied 14 points on 5-for-10 shooting Wednesday, hitting 4-of-8 from three and a long two-pointer. There’s still more time for Ashby to add to his legend at Queens, but he will go down in Royal lore as one of the best players to ever grace the campus.
  
  
• Queens hit 15 threes for the third time this season. The Royals canned 16 against Sacred Heart and 15 against UNC Greensboro. The Royals logged their best three-point shooting percentage of the season, though, knocking down 51.7 percent of their 29 tries. Three shooters hit multiple triples, with Ashby and Carson Schwieger draining four apiece and Mann dropping three.
  
  
• Leonard summed up the inside-outside effort with this succinct quote:  “I thought Gardner-Webb just did not know which poison to take today.”
  
  
• Mann led the Royals and all scorers with 20. Parker added 18, with Ashby and Schwieger notching 14 and 12, respectively. Maban Jabriel contributed 11 and hauled in five boards in reserve duty. Four Runnin’ Bulldogs finished in doubles, with Spence Sims, Jacob Hogarth, and Ace Talbert scoring 15 each. Curtis Williams added 13 for the visitors. Hogarth and Williams also boarded seven misses apiece.

Next up:  Queens will take nine days off for finals before returning to action on Friday, Dec. 12, against South Carolina State. That game is slated for a 7:00 (Eastern) tip, with ESPN+ handling the coverage. Gardner-Webb returns home to Paul Porter Arena for a Saturday afternoon tilt with Georgia Southern. Game time is set for 2:00 from Boiling Springs, N.C., with ESPN+ providing the stream.

Hustle Stats:

Points off turnovers:  Queens 13, Gardner-Webb 8

Points in the paint:  Queens 50, Gardner-Webb 28

Second-chance points:  Gardner-Webb 23, Queens 15

Fast-break points:  Queens 14, Gardner-Webb 6

Bench points:  Queens 36, Gardner-Webb 11

Queens:  1.486 points per possession (72 trips), 65.3% scoring, 13.9% turnovers

Gardner-Webb:  1.014 points per possession (73 trips), 43.8% scoring, 13.7% turnovers

QUEENS 107, GARDNER-WEBB 74

GARDNER-WEBB (0-10)

Sims 6-9 0-0 15, Hogarth 7-12 1-1 15, Williams 4-13 4-4 13, Hawkins 2-9 1-1 5, Talbert 4-12 4-5 15, Ferere 1-5 4-4 6, Hudson 0-4 2-2 2, Riek 0-1 0-0 0, Peterson 1-4 0-0 3, Gales 0-2 0-0 0, Ndiaye 0-0 0-1 0. Totals 25-71 16-18 74.

QUEENS (4-5)

Watford 2-3 3-4 7, Mann 8-12 1-3 20, Parker 9-10 0-2 18, Ashby 5-10 0-0 14, Schwieger 4-5 0-0 12, Henry 4-6 0-0 9, Celestin 0-0 0-0 0, Clark 1-2 0-0 3, Larson 3-4 3-4 9, Jabriel 4-7 2-2 11, Crider 0-1 0-0 0, Berman 1-6 1-2 4. Totals 41-66 10-17 107.

Halftime:  Queens 52-37. 3-Point goals: Queens 15-29 (Mann 3-5, Parker 0-1, Ashby 4-8, Schwieger 4-5, Henry 1-1, Clark 1-2, Jabriel 1-3, Berman 1-3), Gardner-Webb 8-24 (Sims 3-3, Williams 1-6, Hawkins 0-2, Talbert 2-8, Hudson 0-1, Peterson 1-3, Gales 0-1). Fouled out:  NA.  Rebounds:  Gardner-Webb 38 (Hogarth/Williams 7), Queens 38 (Mann/Larson 6). Total fouls:  Gardner-Webb 15, Queens 13. Technicals:  Parker (QUC).