Inside the Numbers: North Alabama at Queens

 

Queens coach Grant Leonard poses with new Queens all-time three-point leader Chris Ashby (left) before Wednesday's win over North Alabama.  (Photo:  Brian Wilmer/Daly Dose of Hoops)

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CHARLOTTE – The night started at Curry Arena Wednesday with a fitting tribute to Queens’ new three-point standard-bearer, Chris Ashby. Ashby was honored for breaking the school record for triples in a Saturday win at Stetson.

Two hours later, what was at one point a rock fight turned into a runaway Queens victory – in which Ashby did not score, but still made many key contributions – that took the Royals to 7-0 atop the ASUN. It’s been said that any guy on the Royals’ roster can lead on any given night, and Wednesday was the night for Avantae Parker, Jordan Watford, and Yoav Berman, among others.

You know that the Royals won, 87-62. Now that you know that, let’s go…Inside the Numbers!

• Queens coach Grant Leonard knew the Royals would be in for a battle, which they got for most of the night. There was one aspect of the game with North Alabama that made it mean a little more to Queens, though.

“They made the game really physical. That’s an identity of theirs,” Leonard said. “I told our guys before the game that they won the league last year. They tied for the regular season. They played in the championship game. We were at their place when they won and we watched them cut down the nets. Guys like Berman, (guard) Nas (Mann), Chris, and (guard) Maban (Jabriel), that’s what we’re trying to get to, and we’ve got to remember how hard it is and how long 18 games are.”

"I’m proud of our guys, because I thought they put in a full 40-minute effort tonight defensively and on the glass, and I couldn’t be more pleased with their effort.”

• Queens missed just one free throw all night, knocking down 24-of-25 (96 percent) from the stripe. This was just the second game all season in which the Royals canned all but one, matching its 7-for-8 effort against Sacred Heart earlier in the season. Leonard’s side hit 20-for-20 at one point, making the head Royal quite pleased after the game.

“We work on (shooting free throws),” Leonard said. “These guys hate rapid-fire free throws, because they want to take their time and spin the ball. Berman hates that, but we just want to get them as many looks as we can and practice when we have the ability to have multiple courts and four rims.”

“You can see (Parker and Berman’s) releases just getting more consistent because they’re getting more reps. 24-for-25 is special. I know that’s not going to be realistic every game, but I believe that we’re an elite free throw shooting team – 75 percent or better. I know that’s because of (Parker and Berman).”

• The Royals set a season-high with 54 points in the paint, outpacing the Lions by 20 in that statistic. North Alabama clearly aimed to deny the three-ball from the Royals – Queens finished 3-for-15 – but the Royals went at the Lions’ chests and attacked the gaps to great success.

“When we build the roster, we get guys that can really shoot it,” Leonard said. “Then, we get finishers, and we get some guys that can do both, like Berman. For us, having those guys that can really finish at an elite level at the rim like Avantae, Jordan Watford, Mann, and Berman – man, it really puts the defense in a quandary.”

“People think that it’s all the threes we’re hitting that’s winning – we’re actually number one in the league in two-point field goal percentage and we’re crushing people in the paint. I’m just proud of our guys for making the right decisions.”

• To the earlier point about Queens’ team environment and how it could be anyone’s night at any given time, Berman offered some additional insight into the team dynamic.

“It’s awesome. Everybody’s got your back,” Berman said. “Everybody’s had a rough stretch this year, and we’ve got enough guys that can score the ball to kind of cover for us. If somebody’s having an off night, we can still win the game.”

“You think about it – the Preseason Player of the Year Chris Ashby doesn’t score. He goes 0-for-6,” Leonard added. “Last year, when we had games like that, we really couldn’t get over the hump. This year, it hasn’t really affected us. I’m really proud of our guys, because they don’t get rattled.”

“Like Berman said, he had a rough stretch for a little while, and it didn’t affect him. He kept playing, he kept improving and studying the film, and you can really watch these guys – they believe in each other and they just try to make the right play. Different defenses are going to guard us different ways, and we just take what the defense gives us.”

• North Alabama cut the game to five at one point, but Queens raced out to a 22-5 burst that put away the Lions. The Royals’ defense played a huge part in the run, which Leonard shouted out after the game.

“I’m not sure about all the season stats but holding them to six assists and 16 turnovers – I’m fairly certain that’s the most we’ve forced all year,” Leonard said.

(Leonard was technically correct – the Royals also forced 16 against both Duquesne and Lynchburg earlier this season.)

“For a team like this who doesn’t turn the ball over – North Alabama is historically low in turnovers – it’s all because of these guys’ ball pressure, and they’ve been getting better,” Leonard added. “I mean, they’ve been hating me all year about ‘ball pressure, ball pressure, ball pressure’ every single day, but it’s getting there. We’re slowly getting better defensively and on the glass, and I’m proud of these guys for that.”

• Berman was the recipient of Buddy the Street Dog for his performance. The power guard – is that a thing? – scored 20 points and dished five helpers.

“Berman’s been our best defender over this stretch,” Leonard said. “He’s guarded everyone. He’s guarded other teams’ best wings. He’s guarded fours. He’s guarded point guards. He’s switched. He’s walled up on five-men. He’s been the toughest dude on the floor.”

• Finally, Leonard – known for his sweaters – again wore a sweater with the image of Dr. Martin Luther King. Leonard expanded a bit on his admiration for Dr. King in his postgame remarks.

“Martin Luther King is special to me. I think he’s possibly the greatest leader in American history,” Leonard said. “I don’t know that we give him enough love, even though he has his own holiday. He’s inspirational in his courage and leadership, his voice, and how he brought people together. I can’t give him enough credit. He’s possibly the greatest inspiration I’ve ever seen in American history.” 

Watford paced Queens with a career-high 23, dropping 7-of-10 from the field and 8-of-8 from the line in 21 minutes of play. Berman added 20, hitting 8-of-16 from the deck and all three of his tries from the stripe. Parker finished a board shy of a double-double, adding 18 points to the Royal effort. Carson Schwieger added 11, while Mann contributed 10. The Royals hit 53.6 percent of their tries from the field (30-for-56), despite hitting just 20 percent (3-for-15) from distance. The Royals hit 96 percent (24-of-25) from the line.

North Alabama was led by Kevin de Covachich, who booked 15 despite going just 2-for-9 from the field. Forward Corneilous Williams added 12 despite battling foul trouble much of the second half. Junior guard Canin Jefferson tallied 11 on 3-for-6 (2-for-4 from distance), with freshman point guard Braylon Patton adding 10 with his 5-for-9 performance. The Lions hit 38.9 percent (21-for-54) from the field, with 25 percent (4-for-16) of their three-point tries finding the net. North Alabama hit 72.7 percent (16-for-22) from the stripe.

Next up:  Queens travels to The Coliseum in Carrollton, Ga., for a conference matchup with West Georgia. The game is slated for 4:30pm (Eastern) Saturday, weather permitting. ESPN+ will stream the contest. North Alabama is off until Thursday, Jan. 29, when it travels to Alico Arena in Fort Myers, Fla., to battle Florida Gulf Coast. ESPN+ will cover that 7:00 start.

Hustle Stats:

Points off turnovers:  Queens 25, North Alabama 6

Points in the paint:  Queens 54, North Alabama 34

Second-chance points:  Queens 13, North Alabama 10

Fast-break points:  Queens 15, North Alabama 4

Bench points:  Queens 28, North Alabama 21

QUEENS 87, NORTH ALABAMA 62

NORTH ALABAMA (6-12, 1-6 ASUN)

Williams 5-13 2-2 12, Patton 5-9 0-0 10, de Kovachich 2-9 10-10 15, King 0-0 0-0 0, Howell 1-8 1-2 4, Bacchus 2-4 0-2 4, Jefferson 3-6 3-4 11, Graham-Howard 1-1 0-0 2, Albritton 2-3 0-2 4, Walker 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-54 16-22 62.

QUEENS (12-8, 7-0)

Mann 2-5 6-6 10, Parker 7-8 4-4 18, Ashby 0-6 0-0 0, Schwieger 4-7 2-2 11, Berman 8-16 3-3 20, Watford 7-10 8-8 23, Henry 1-1 0-0 2, Celestin 0-0 0-0 0, Clark 0-0 0-0 0, Larson 1-2 1-2 3, Jabriel 0-1 0-0 0, Crider 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-56 24-25 87.

Halftime:  Queens 42-33. 3-Point goals:  North Alabama 4-16 (Patton 0-1, de Kovachich 1-4, Howell 1-6, Bacchus 0-1, Jefferson 2-4), Queens 3-15 (Mann 0-2, Ashby 0-4, Schwieger 1-4, Berman 1-4, Watford 1-1). Fouled out:  Larson (QUC).  Rebounds:  Queens 35 (Parker 9), North Alabama 26 (Williams 5). Total fouls:  North Alabama 19, Queens 15. Technicals:  NA.