Gardner-Webb has everything come together in opening-round Big South Championships victory

Gardner-Webb celebrates its opening-round victory over USC Upstate Wednesday night. (Photo:  Big South Conference)

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JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Three wins. One against a Division I program. The outside noise. Hell, for that matter, the internal noise among the fans.

Throw it out the window. All of it.

In a season where highlights have been a challenge, Gardner-Webb saw everything come together. It wasn’t perfect – it never is. Whether there is another day to celebrate in the Mountain Empire for Gardner-Webb is to be determined, but the ninth-seeded Runnin’ Bulldogs knocked off eighth-seeded USC Upstate, 65-64, Wednesday night in the Big South tournament opener.

Excitement. Justification. Redemption. Catharsis. It was all that and more.

“It’s been a rewarding year. It’s been a frustrating year,” Gardner-Webb coach Jeremy Luther said after the game. “So many people – all the reporters and people around campus and around town, they all want to tiptoe up to me and ask, ‘How are you doing, Coach?’ Why are you doing that?”

“I’ve had a great – probably one of the most rewarding coaching years in my 28 years, because we’ve got a great group of kids, and they show up every single day, despite the record. They fight. They practice. There’s no reason to practice as hard as they’re practicing every day when you have the record we have.”

To have a season as Gardner-Webb has had is hardly unprecedented in this league. Asheville went 4=27 in Mike Morrell’s first season at the helm for the Bulldogs. Morrell is now the longest-tenured coach in the league, with a league title and a Coach of the Year award to show for it. Luther wants no part of anyone feeling sorry for him or his program.

“I’m not trying to sugarcoat anything, (but) the mark of a team is how they progress through the year,” Luther said. “When you start off 0-8 in the league and get beat the way we did in some of those games, then come back and play all these teams – Presbyterian beat us (by) 37 at home. We lost there by six. Asheville beat us by 19. We lost to them by four.”

“This team got better. I always said this team was going to be better. I really don’t care about the record. If I can keep this group together and all these freshmen become sophomores, the sophomores become juniors, and we can add a couple of people – we only lose two kids – I’ve been told we’re going to be able to go out there and get some kids like we used to get, we’ve got a chance.”

One of those freshmen to whom Luther refers provided a glimpse Wednesday of just what kind of chance the Runnin’ Bulldogs may have. Jamias Ferere, a 6-foot-6 freshman from the backyard of conference champion High Point, scored 21 and grabbed 12 boards. Ferere also sank the two winning free throws that helped Gardner-Webb advance.

“He came to me during (Upstate’s late) timeout and said, ‘Coach, give me the ball.’ He said that twice,” Luther said. Ferere expanded on his coach’s words.

“I wasn’t nervous at all. I told him to give me the ball,” Ferere said. “I’m not sure if I got it (by) accident or not. It came to me and I did what I said I could do. That’s what I pride myself on – doing what I say I can do. Getting to the line, it wasn’t anything to me. I just had to shoot them and knock them down.”

Ferere has a tie to Gardner-Webb’s prolific past. Ferere played at Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut, which has yielded Runnin’ Bulldog stars of the past like Jose Perez, Kareem Reid, and Jaheam Cornwall. Luther’s connections to the school have paid clear dividends, with the latest being Ferere.

“(Playing for Putnam) put me around other Division I players – guys more athletic than me, stronger than me, bigger than me,” Ferere said. “I played in many games with this type of atmosphere. You’ve got no choice but to survive.”

Ferere shows flashes of Perez as a shooter, as a driver, and as a believer in himself. Ferere offered a postscript following the press conference Wednesday evening.

“I was left off the All-Freshman Team, and I don’t want to make this sound selfish, but I don’t think there are five freshmen better than me in this conference,” Ferere said. “I’ve got a lot of respect for this conference. I’m from High Point. I grew up in it. I do not think there are five freshmen better than me. I think anything you look at will tell you that, as well as the eye test.”

Ferere apologized for his comments, but the point was made.

Gardner-Webb now moves on to face that team from Ferere’s hometown Friday at noon. Luther acknowledges the job Co-Head Coach of the Year Flynn Clayman has done and the differences between the two but refuses to shy away from the challenge.

“Flynn’s done a really good job,” Luther said. “I think it’s widely known that they’ve invested a ton into that program, and it’s gotten them to 25-4 or whatever they are, but that doesn’t take away from what Flynn’s done. I’m going to say this – I’m confident in my guys. (High Point) has played a lot of teams close.”

“I will say this about my guys – they’re going to go out there and fight extremely hard. We’re not going to back down. We’re going to make it a game. I feel like we’ve got a pretty good game plan. I’ll guarantee you this – if we score more than one point than they do, we win. We’re going to go out on Friday and give it everything we’ve got. I know everybody’s going to root against us – so be it. That’s fine.”

Whatever story Friday afternoon writes for this Gardner-Webb team, it will be a postscript to a story that reads like a line from a Jimmy Buffett song.

“Some of it’s magic. Some of it’s tragic.”

Luther and his players know how they will tell the story, though.

“You look at the season and you look at the record and you think, ‘Ah, man.’ I think it matured us,” Ferere said. “I think we kind of had to go through it for a moment like this. When you talk about a tense moment, we’ve had a few games where it was like this before. I’m a freshman, (guard Jacob Hudson) is a sophomore. Those moments built us for today.”

“I had, what, 21 (points) and 12 (rebounds)? That didn’t happen today. It was just a lot of stuff that we had to get through to get to a moment like this. I mean, we’ve still got a lot left to do, but I think if you look at it with the cup half-full instead of half-empty, the losses that we had, the tribulations we went through, they made us ready for this moment.”

Thanks to Wednesday, Gardner-Webb will get one more moment.

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).

Gardner-Webb puts all the pieces together in opening-round Big South tournament victory

 

Gardner-Webb forward Isaiah Richards (24) logged a double-double in the Runnin' Bulldogs' opening-round win Wednesday.  (Photo:  Gardner-Webb Athletics)

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JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Coaching college basketball is an incredibly tough business.

Nobody feels that more than Gardner-Webb’s Jeremy Luther and USC Upstate’s Marty Richter. The two newest head coaches in the Big South battled in the conference tournament’s play-in game Wednesday, with their teams looking to close challenging seasons on high notes.

Gardner-Webb got four double-figure scorers and turned a tense halftime battle into a decisive victory, taking down Upstate, 83-63, at Freedom Hall. Richter and Upstate got something, too – more on that in a bit.

“I love this team that we have,” Luther said after the game. “We have shown a lot of spurts of good basketball, especially early in the year. We kind of lost our way a little bit, had some injuries, had to deal with some stuff off the floor with some of these guys. The last few weeks haven't been too fun. I know the type of team they can be. We've shown it.”

Gardner-Webb (11-19) got to work early. After Upstate broke the seal with a Carmelo Adkins bucket 50 seconds into the game, the Runnin’ Bulldogs trailed for just one more minute. Anthony Selden converted a layup to give Gardner-Webb a lead it would not surrender – though not without some tense moments – to key a nearly seven-minute burst that put the eighth-seeded Runnin’ Bulldogs up by 12.

The Runnin’ Bulldogs grew their lead to 13 at the 7:34 mark before one of those tense moments unfolded. Upstate (6-26) keyed a charge bookended by guard Karmani Gregory. Gregory started the run with a pair of free throws and closed it with a layup that knifed the lead in half. Brit Harris drained a triple and Mister Dean hit a jumper to continue to whittle away at the margin. After Selden made a bucket with 1:52 remaining in the first half, Nic Book closed the first half with a jumper to send Upstate to the locker room down just three at 31-28.

“I’ve got to give credit to Gardner-Webb,” Richter said. “They did an unbelievable job that second half. They got up 28-13 in the first half. My guys fought back. They did an awesome job of fighting back. We got it to 31-28 at the half, so we closed the half the way we needed to.”

The second half proved to be a different story.

Gardner-Webb quickly neutralized the Upstate threat, getting back-to-back makes from Pharrell Boyogueno and Buddy Simmons to push the lead back to eight. Shahar Lazar again created a double-digit lead for the eighth seed with a layup.

Upstate continued to fight. The Spartans got two Dean baskets and two from Harris that snipped the deficit to four. Gardner-Webb would then stagger the lower seed with a quick 6-0 flurry that again extended the lead back to double digits. Upstate tried to return serve and reduced the distance to seven points, but Gardner-Webb countered with a knockout blow in a 6-0 run over 1:34 that put the Runnin’ Bulldogs ahead by double digits to stay.

“Their physicality wore us down. Their being fifth and sixth-year seniors, their body types wore our first-year guys down,” Richter said. “We're the youngest team in college basketball this year on KenPom, so that just wore us down in the second half and that's why --  I mean, their second chance points -- they had 19 and then we had five offensive rebounds in the first half. They ended up with 16, so they got 11 in that second half. They got in the paint and they lived in the paint.”

Selden and forward Isaiah Richards helped key Gardner-Webb’s success inside.

“They don't have a lot of shot blockers, not a lot of size,” Luther said. “So we were just trying to get paint touches, and we'd get in the paint, get off two (feet), and just go finish strong.”

Richards noted the team’s strategy in stemming the tide during the Upstate run.

“So (our) being who we are, a bunch of vets, you know, guys that listen to us and buy into what we want to do and what we want to accomplish, (we) just keep doing what we're doing,”Richards said. “There's really no conversation or change to be made -- just keep pressuring them, keep pounding them. At some point, they're going to break, and they broke.”

Richter’s first season came to an end with Wednesday’s loss, but he displayed his trademark optimism in his postgame remarks.

“(Other league coaches) helped change this league to a league that is respected by basketball coaches. And that is one thing that is so great about our league, I think,” Richter said. “I've got to improve as a head coach. Players have to improve. My assistants have to improve. My strength coach has to get better.”

“We've got to get better as an organization, because we've got a spot at Spartanburg, USC Upstate, that is special. And you guys are looking at me like, right now, Coach, you only won six games. Just trust me, it's a special place.”

Richter left the dais with a funny – and truthful – parting shot.

“I'm going to remember this score for the rest of my life. My kids won't let me forget, either.”

Selden paced Gardner-Webb and all scorers with 18 points, buoyed by a 10-of-13 mark from the free throw stripe. Simmons  added 16, hitting 7-of-16 tries. Boyogueno contributed 14 to the Gardner-Webb effort, while Richards booked a double-double while scoring 11 points and boarding 12 misses. The Runnin’ Bulldogs shot 46.3 percent (31-of-67) from the deck and knocked down 16-of-20 attempts from the line.

Gregory and Dean logged 17 apiece for the Spartans. The duo hit 13 combined tries from the field, with Gregory finishing 6-for-8 from the line. Harris added 12 in reserve duty, hitting 4-of-8 field goal tries. The Spartans shot 37.1 percent (23-for-62) from the field and converted 12-of-19 from the line (63.2 percent).

The eighth-seeded Runnin’ Bulldogs advance to Friday’s quarterfinal round, where they will square off with regular-season champion High Point in a noon contest streamed over ESPN+. Luther knows the task his team faces but does not lack confidence.

“These guys right here, you know, when you're down to your last possible game, it's like that all across the country,” Luther said. “I'll take these guys fighting because I've seen what they can do, and I really believe that if we go out there and we fight and we compete and we don't back down -- which I know these guys aren't -- anything can happen, and I feel great. I feel really confident that we can, you know, shock the world.”

“We're going to go out and fight. We're going to make some shots. We're going to shock the world.”

GARDNER-WEBB 83, USC UPSTATE 63

USC UPSTATE (6-26)

Helterhoff 1-4 1-2 3, Skinner 1-6 2-2 5, Adkins 1-8 0-0 2, Gregory 5-14 6-8 17, Johnson 1-5 0-0 3, Book 2-3 0-0 4, Harris 4-8 2-2 12, McConnell 0-0 0-0 0, Dean 8-13 1-5 17, Rich 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-62 12-19 63.

GARDNER-WEBB (11-19)

Boyogueno 6-9 0-0 14, Richards 4-5 1-1 11, Selden 4-16 10-13 18, Mann 2-7 2-2 6, Simmons 7-18 1-1 16, Badmus 1-1 0-0 2, Lazar 3-4 1-2 7, Mykalcio 0-1 0-0 0, Hudson 4-7 1-1 9. Totals 31-677 16-20 83.

Halftime:  Gardner-Webb 31-28. 3-Point goals:  Gardner-Webb 5-16 (Boygueno 2-4, Richards 2-2, Selden 0-3, Simmons 1-6, Lazar 0-1), USC Upstate 6-25 (Helterhoff 0-1, Skinner 1-5, Adkins 0-5, Gregory 1-6, Johnson 1-3, Harris 2-4, Dean 0-1). Fouled out:  Adkins (UPST).  Rebounds: Gardner-Webb 45 (Richards 12), USC Upstate 34 (Book 7). Total fouls:  USC Upstate 17, Gardner-Webb 15. Technicals:  NA.

Points off turnovers:  Gardner-Webb 22, Upstate 10.  Points in the paint:  Gardner-Webb 46, USC Upstate 34. Second-chance points:  Gardner-Webb 19, USC Upstate 8.  Fast-break points:  Gardner-Webb 9, USC Upstate 5.  Bench points:  USC Upstate 33, Gardner-Webb 18.

 

 

 

Queens outlasts Gardner-Webb behind Colimerio's career day

 

Queens forward Leo Colimerio led all scorers with 27 points in Saturday afternoon's victory. (Photo:  Queens University of Charlotte Athletics)

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BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – It’s obviously a different sport, but there may be a little bit of John Smoltz in Leo Colimerio.

The Queens senior forward was the Royals’ starter, scoring 24 points in the first half. He then served as the closer, knocking down the two free throws that helped his team stave off a fierce Gardner-Webb comeback. Queens used the career day from Colimerio to get its second consecutive win away from Curry Arena, claiming an 85-83 victory over the Runnin’ Bulldogs Saturday afternoon at Paul Porter Arena.

“Those guys responded,” Gardner-Webb coach Jeremy Luther said when speaking of his team’s response and rally down the stretch. “I think we were down 10 or 11 and we came back and took the lead. We just didn’t have enough plays after that to complete it.”

Queens (6-5) proved to be the early aggressor. The Royals were able to work Colimerio into the paint to set up short jumpers or passes to scorers at the basket, shaking off an early pair of baskets by the Runnin’ Bulldogs to seize the advantage. Creating separation proved to be a bit of a struggle, however, as Queens could open no larger than a two-possession advantage for much of the opening stanza. The Runnin’ Bulldogs pulled level on a Jamaine Mann dunk at the 9:45 mark – only for Colimerio to unleash a personal 7-0 run to put Queens in a bit more comfortable situation.

The margin stayed roughly the same for another five minutes, before Gardner-Webb answered another Colimerio triple with a 7-0 burst of its own, with a Buddy Simmons trifecta and Anthony Selden layup following a Mann bucket to again pull the Runnin’ Bulldogs within a single point. Queens then counterpunched to end the half, closing on a 15-8 burst capped by a Mahan Jabriel three at the first-half horn to take a 44-36 ledger reading to the interval.

Queens grabbed the first two buckets of the second half and quickly opened a double-digit lead. Gardner-Webb (4-7) halved the deficit on an and-one from Mann with 13:17 to play. Just as quickly, however, Queens fired back to push it back to 10 with 12:18 remaining. The Runnin’ Bulldogs had a strong response prepared.

After Queens took a nine-point lead at 63-54, the home side scored 15 of the next 21 points to square the proceedings at 69 on an Ademide Badmus and-one with 6:51 to play. Jaxon Pollard countered 24 seconds later, though, drilling a corner triple to give the lead back to the Royals.

“There were a couple things that led to their run,” Queens coach Grant Leonard said. “There was a little bit of foul trouble on our part, which was on us, because we weren’t guarding well enough. Then, we had a couple careless turnovers, which allowed them to get loose in transition, so those two things were really it.”

Queens would lead by as many as five before Gardner-Webb made yet another charge.

Brendan Mykalcio converted an and-one with 4:15 left to again even the contest at 76. Simmons would then put Gardner-Webb back in front at 78-77 with 3:12 to play. That would be the final time the Runnin’ Bulldogs would lead in the game.

Nasir Mann would put home a teardrop runner as the shot clock evaporated to allow Queens to wrest away control with 2:21 to play. Yoav Berman canned a deep three to put the Royals up four. After Gardner-Webb cut it to one on a Simmons bucket with 30 seconds left, Pollard then put home a free throw, while Colimerio would sink the eventual game-clinching tries from the stripe with nine seconds to play.

“I’m just thankful for my teammates being able to find me in the high post,” Colimerio said. “This year’s been big for me, especially in getting my confidence up.

“It’s been a big emphasis for us in practice for how we’ve got to finish (games), and rebounds are major for us. I just feel like we’ve got to keep doing the little things on the road and execute the plan that (Leonard) gives to us. If we can follow that, then everything will be okay.”

Colimerio led all scorers, with his 27 just three points shy of equaling the career-high he set last season at Fresno State against BYU. The senior hit 8-of-12 from the deck (3-of-5 from distance) and 8-of-9 from the line. Center Malcolm Wilson added 11, hitting five of his six shots. Four additional Royals scored at least eight points apiece. Queens shot 56.3 percent (27-for-48) from the field, hitting nine threes in 17 tries. The Royals also hit 22-of-29 from the line, including 16-of-22 second-half tries.

Guard Bryce Cash was one of the four aforementioned Royals nearing double figures, as he shook off any concerns over an injury he was nursing to guide his team in 34 minutes of play.

“In Bryce I trust,” Leonard said. “If he says he can go, he can go. I trust the decisions he’s going to make with the ball. If you want to know why we’re better on the road this year, it’s Bryce’s decision-making and toughness. A couple years ago when we had (former guard) Kenny (Dye), we had that, and now we have it with Bryce. That’s not to knock anyone on last year’s team, but it’s the mental toughness that really wins on the road.”

Simmons tallied 23 for Gardner-Webb, hitting 10-of-16 attempts from the field and knocking down three threes in six tries.

“I thought he played really well tonight,” Luther said. “He got some big stops and hit some big shots. He’s got a long career ahead of him. He’s going to be really good.”

Mann booked 18, hitting 7-of-8 from the field. The Runnin’ Bulldogs shot a sizzling 61.5 percent (32-for-52) on the afternoon, with a 63 percent shooting effort in the second 20. Gardner-Webb struggled from the line, which proved problematic in the end. The Runnin’ Bulldogs hit just 11-of-22 (50 percent) from the stripe.

Both teams resume action with weekday tilts following final exams. Gardner-Webb travels to Statesboro, Ga., to square off with Georgia Southern Tuesday night. Game time is set for 7:00 (Eastern) inside the Hill Convocation Center, with streaming coverage slated for ESPN+. Queens welcomes Mercer to Curry Arena for a 7:00 tip Wednesday evening. That game will also be streamed via ESPN+.

QUEENS 85, GARDNER-WEBB 83

QUEENS (6-5)

Mathews 2-5 4-4 8, Cash 4-9 0-0 8, Ashby 0-3 4-4 4, Colimerio 8-12 8-9 27, Wilson 5-6 1-2 11, Mann 3-6 1-2 9, Shine 0-0 0-0 0, Jabriel 1-1 0-0 3, Nevill 0-0 0-0 0, Pollard 1-1 4-8 7, Berman 3-5 0-0 8. Totals 27-48 22-29 85.

GARDNER-WEBB (4-7)

Selden 3-6 0-1 7, Mann 7-8 3-7 18, Boyogueno 2-6 3-4 9, Badmus 2-2 1-1 5, Simmons 10-16 0-0 23, Mykalcio 2-2 2-4 6, Hudson 3-7 1-2 7, Lazar 1-1 0-0 3, Hawkins 1-2 0-0 2, Richards 1-2 1-3 3. Totals 32-52 11-22 83.

Halftime:  Queens 44-36. 3-Point goals:  Queens 9-17 (Mathews 0-1, Cash 0-1, Ashby 0-1, Colimerio 3-5, Mann 2-4, Jabriel 1-1, Pollard 1-1, Berman 2-3), Gardner-Webb 8-19 (Selden 1-3, Mann 1-2, Boyogueno 2-5, Simmons 3-6, Hudson 0-1, Lazar 1-1, Richards 0-1). Fouled out:  NA.  Rebounds:  Gardner-Webb 26 (Mann 7), Queens 25 (Cash 6). Total fouls:  Gardner-Webb 21, Queens 20. Technicals:  NA.

Points off turnovers:  Queens 20, Gardner-Webb 18.  Points in the paint:  Gardner-Webb 46, Queens 36. Second-chance points:  Gardner-Webb 10, Queens 6.  Fast-break points:  Gardner-Webb 9, Queens 7.  Bench points:  Queens 27, Gardner-Webb 21.