Sha Sounds Off: Creighton

By Jason Guerette (@JPGuerette)

On Seton Hall’s second-half comeback:

“I’m not sure we should have got ourselves in that hole, but I thought that group that finished the game off — minus Steph, it was the same group I had in there at Marquette towards the end — they just kept playing. They just kept playing, and the game plan was to try to get back in transition and take away the three. In the second half, I thought we did that, and I thought that’s what got us back. We couldn’t put our pressure on because we couldn’t score, then once we started scoring, we started putting pressure on them.”

On the game-winning sequence with Budd Clark and Najai Hines:

“I didn’t think (Creighton) was going to come out in a 1-3-1, I never saw them really do that. But the play was for (Clark) to make a play, and Josh and Najai to be in position, if he missed, to get a putback. And I thought Najai did a good job of getting in position and catching it, keeping it high, not dropping it and finishing.”

On closing out games:

“Last year is last year, man. I don’t know why we’re still talking about that. That’s over, big dawg. The difference is when you’ve got better guard play. That’s just the bottom line, no disrespect to the team last year, I love all those guys, but when you’ve got better guard play, you get yourself in position to be in games. And this year, we’ve just got better guard play, and I think that’s why we find ourselves to be in games. And no disrespect to our bigs, I mean, for Najai to play like this as a freshman in his second game back from being out, it just shows you that when you have a balanced team, like I keep saying, any given night, it’s somebody different. It’s not gonna be the same person. We don’t have a ‘stud’ or somebody that’s gonna give us 20. We’ve got a bunch of guys that are 10, 11, 12, around that area, and each night, somebody steps up.”

On aggressiveness and drawing fouls:

“I thought we were aggressive in the first half. We just missed a lot of chippies. If you watched the first half, we were getting the ball at the basket, we just weren’t finishing. It’s good for us to go to the free throw line. I thought we did a good job cashing in on that, but the whole thing is that group that played just played with energy. Like, we had no life at all, the first group didn’t give us anything. We made some adjustments and once we started getting into it, the crowd got into it and I thought it was good. The kids fed off that. This is a good win for us. Creighton’s a really, really good team, obviously Greg is a really good coach and the way they’ve been playing in conference play, this is a big win for us.”

On his message during Seton Hall’s comeback:

“We were right there. We could have got it down to two, got it down to three, got it down to one, but we were just missing some stuff. I knew if we kept being aggressive and kept driving, and just didn’t let them make threes, I think that was the difference. They didn’t make threes in the second half, and because we didn’t force it in the first half, they got some runouts. In the second half, they didn’t get a lot of runouts. I thought that was the difference.”

On Trey Parker:

“With Trey, it’s always easy to play him with another guard. When he’s out there by himself, there’s a lot of pressure on him to try and make plays. When he’s out there with Budd, now you’ve got two of them and that’s easy for him to kind of go away a little bit and just kind of play off Budd, and do what he do, drive the ball to the basket. I’ve been trying to tell him I want him to be more aggressive. He’s one of our most athletic guys on the team by far, but he’s not really showing it. I want him to start showing it.”

On slow starts in the second half:

“The way you prepare is the way you play. We haven’t been preparing well. Guys now, everybody’s sore, everybody’s hurt, you can’t do this, you can’t do that, you can’t practice. And when you can’t practice, you can’t prepare the way you’re supposed to play. When you prepare, this is what happens against good teams in our league.”

On balanced offense being a catalyst:

“I just think it takes guys defending and then us feeding off our defense for offense, and I thought that’s what happened in the second half. We fed off our defense. Guys didn’t care about who took the shot, we were just playing defense and playing with energy, getting stops and getting runouts. And when you play like that, good things happen. That’s what I keep trying to tell these guys: Stop taking me shots. Just take a Seton Hall shot. And I thought Budd took a Seton Hall shot, and because he took that shot, our two guys were in position to rebound, and that’s the difference.”

On alumni support and delivering a win like this:

“It means everything. When you’re a former player like I am here, and I tell these guys all the time, I ain’t just the coach. This is all of our program. This is everybody who played, everybody who wore this uniform from when they first played all the way until now. These guys, they invested a lot of time, blood, sweat and tears, so for those guys to come back 

UConn’s lack of A-game not a concern as Huskies power past Marquette

Solo Ball’s improvement on defense has helped UConn remain strong even with off days shooting, such as Sunday against Marquette. (Photo by Jessica Hill/Associated Press)

STORRS, Conn. — A time-tested mark of a true championship team is its ability to win games with far from its best efforts, a quality that resonates the later into a season teams get.

When a team with multiple perimeter threats makes just five of its three-point attempts, the focus then becomes relying on an effective calling card. UConn was able to do that Sunday at Gampel Pavilion, using its defense to make up for what Dan Hurley termed a “frustrating” offensive performance, stifling Marquette and defeating the Golden Eagles comfortably, 73-57.

“Today was a game where we should have shot 50 percent from the field,” Hurley conceded. “I felt like we got good enough looks from three that there should have been double-figure threes made, and the turnovers (11), I guess I can live with that number based on what’s been transpiring. The ’24 team was number one in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio. We gotta get the turnovers down. We waited a half to offensive rebound, we offensive rebounded the heck out of the ball in the second half. You can’t wait a half to offensive rebound, that’s a part of your offense. The free throw shooting was sketchy again, and I thought we left points on the board not finishing at the rim.”

“Teams get better throughout the year. We’re gonna get a lot better. We’re not gonna stay the way we are, we’re gonna improve a lot.”

UConn (14-1, 4-0 Big East) used its defense, second in the country only to Michigan according to KenPom efficiency ratings, to frustrate Marquette and compound what has already been a long season for the Golden Eagles. Head coach Shaka Smart, no stranger to stout defenses of his own wherever he has been, praised the fourth-ranked Huskies for their refusal to give in, even with the outcome in very little doubt.

“They were more relentless than us,” Smart said. “They just stayed with it and they kept attacking, they kept battling, and the way they attacked the glass in the second half was a huge, huge difference maker. Coming out of halftime, I thought UConn did a good job of playing with force, and we did not stand up to them enough.”

“They have a unique defense compared to most of the teams that we play, in that they only really help when they have to. They stay home for the most part with guys, and what that requires is really, really battling and staying in front of a guy.”

UConn’s defense has always been the program’s bread and butter under Hurley, save for the anomaly of last season. Not only has the collective improvement been tangible this year, the individual growth of Solo Ball on that side of the floor is night and day compared to where it was during his sophomore campaign.

“I feel like it’s definitely gotten a lot better,” Ball said of his defense, which complemented 17 points and eight rebounds Sunday. “Last year, it was kind of a head case. I feel like it was our Achilles’ heel as a team and it affected us all, because my defense, and also just the team defense, just wasn’t there. That was a big emphasis going into this year, and we work on defense tirelessly every single day in practice. You’ve just gotta trust your preparation.”

“It’s helped a lot,” Hurley concurred. “It was a huge improvement. If you look at defensive ratings of players last year, we had multiple players in our starting five that were 500, 600, 700, 1000 or lower relative to their individual defensive rating. It was a shitshow out there on defense last year. Silas (Demary, Jr.) has helped, Solo’s improvement on defense has helped, Braylon (Mullins) as a freshman. I just think overall, Eric (Reibe)’s been pretty good defensively, Tarris (Reed, Jr.) is surrounded by better defensive players, and he’s raised his level.”

Halfway through the season, UConn may not be the juggernaut it was two years ago when defending its national championship, but the Huskies are a consensus Final Four-caliber unit as presently constructed. That, coupled with a mutual embrace of player development, projects to be a boon in the self-proclaimed basketball capital of the world and a nightmare to those tasked with the unenviable assignment of taking UConn down.

“I feel like the biggest thing I’ve grown this year is just strength,” Ball remarked. “The strength piece has been influential for me just going to the rim, and it’s also just helped rebounding. I feel like I’ve become a way more complete player than I was last year, and I think that’s just what I could do help the team.”

“They’re still evolving,” Smart said of UConn as a whole. “I really like the pieces that they have, their role definition that they have. The way they play offensively is as hard to deal with as anybody.”

Hurley joked that he liked the fact that Alex Karaban and Braylon Mullins shot a combined 5-for-21 Sunday, hinting that it might bode well for their next game Wednesday at Providence after getting a bad day out of their systems. Regardless of the inefficiency, however, a conference win is more enjoyable now knowing what the future projects to be.

“This year has been so fun so far just with these guys,” Ball proclaimed. “I feel like we have an incredible chemistry together, and the great thing is we’re still gonna grow. We’re not gonna be the same team that we’ll be in March, and that just comes with the reps that we’re gonna put in. We still have guys that are getting back into the flow of things and just getting comfortable. Everyone’s on the same page now, but as soon as we continue to build chemistry, it’s just gonna be dangerous between all 15 of us.”

5 Thoughts: Seton Hall stuns Creighton with another comeback

Najai Hines’ putback in final seconds capped off 16-point comeback for Seton Hall Sunday against Creighton. (Photo by Gabe Rhodes/Seton Hall Athletics)

By Jason Guerette (@JPGuerette)

NEWARK, N.J. — Another day, another monster Seton Hall comeback.

Down by 16 points after a Creighton haymaker at the start of the second half, the Pirates were looking for answers and looking for a spark. Once that spark was lit, it turned into a fire, and down the stretch, it became an inferno that was capped with a Najai Hines putback with one second left, delivering a 56-54 victory on Sunday at Prudential Center.

Here are the Thoughts from Newark as the Pirates improved to 3-1 in Big East play:

1. Stick-to-it-iveness

An unfortunate early story of this game was that Seton Hall was getting great looks offensively, but maybe half of its misses were balls that just went halfway down and out or had a chance to go in but just plain didn’t.

“I thought we were aggressive in the first half, but we missed a lot of chippies,” Shaheen Holloway said. “If you watch the first half, we were getting the ball at the basket, but we just weren’t finishing.”

There was some of that in the second half as well, but the important thing is that the Pirates stayed the course, and it was that continued aggression that played a huge part in their comeback. Seton Hall went to the free throw line 15 times after halftime, and made 13 of those shots, offsetting a day where it shot just 36 percent from the field overall.

There was even a stretch during the comeback where it stalled a bit, with Seton Hall down between two and four points for an extended stretch as well, and the Pirates didn’t let that faze them.

“We were right there,” Holloway said. “We could have got it down three, down two, down one, and just missed some stuff. But I knew if we kept being aggressive, kept driving, and didn’t let them make threes, I thought that was the difference.”

2. All Fouled Up

The biggest story of the first half aside from the missed layups was that three of the Pirates’ most impactful players weren’t on the floor because of foul trouble. We’ve talked before about Budd Clark picking up early fouls and how that stunts the Pirates’ game plan on both ends of the floor. Unfortunately, it happened again, as the Pirate point guard picked up his second foul just six minutes into the contest. 

What also happened, however, is that both of Seton Hall's bigs — Stephon Payne and Hines — also were saddled with two fouls in the first half. That forced Holloway to play Godswill Erheriene for an extended period of time, and while Erheriene brings a lot of length, he isn’t the physical presence that Payne or Hines is inside.

As a result, Creighton was able to surge ahead on the glass, something head coach Greg McDermott said after the game was a key, using seven offensive rebounds and a 7-2 edge in second-chance points to take a nine-point lead into the break.

Ironically, an offensive rebound against the Bluejays decided the contest (more on that in a second), and the comeback nullifies a lot of the impact of this point, but as Holloway said after the contest, the Pirates shouldn’t have been in the position they were, and one reason why was foul trouble. It’s something to work on for Seton Hall because just like every team, it needs its best players on the floor, not sitting on the bench.

3. Dancing in the Dark

As the venerable Bruce Springsteen once wrote, you can't start a fire without a spark, and with the Pirates down 16 points, they needed something extra from somewhere.

Enter Trey Parker, who had no points in 11 minutes in the first half, playing more with Clark on the bench. The NC State transfer drove hard to the basket on offense, attempting six free throws in the second half alone, and that turned out to be the little spark that kickstarted Seton Hall’s comeback. When all was said and done, he ended up with nine points, four rebounds, two assists, and three fouls drawn that tied him for the team lead with Clark.

Holloway used both Clark and Parker on the floor together down the stretch as well, which he said benefited the North Carolina native.

“When (Trey) is out there by himself, there’s a lot of pressure on him to try and make plays,” Holloway said. “But when he’s out there with Budd, now you’ve got two of them, now it's easy for him to kind of play off Budd and do what he does, drive the ball to the basket. I’ve been trying to tell him I want him to be more aggressive. He’s one of our most athletic guys on the team, by far, but he’s not really showing it. I want him to show it.”

Holloway also mentioned Josh Rivera as another player who gave the Pirates the kick in the pants they needed, and while his overall stats (four points, three rebounds in 13 minutes) may not show it, his plus-16 rating, the second-highest on the team behind Parker, certainly did.

“That group that played (during the comeback) just played with energy,” Holloway said. “We had no life at all, the first group didn’t give us anything, so we made some adjustments. And then once we got into it, the crowd got into it, and the kids fed off that. This is a good win for us.”

4. A “Seton Hall” Shot

Now to the final possession, which was created by the Pirates’ defense forcing back-to-back held balls, the second of which came with about 11 seconds remaining in a one-point game. Faced with nothing but man defense all game, Creighton threw on a 1-3-1 zone, a great adjustment designed to throw Seton Hall off.

“They were really beating us off the dribble,” McDermott said of his decision to go zone. “They had no timeouts, and we thought we could steal a possession.”

However, in a zone defense, it can be tougher to rebound, and that turned out to be what decided the contest. The adjustment did surprise Holloway, but where he went with the ball on the final possession shouldn't surprise anyone. Clark missed a pull-up jumper in the teeth of the zone, but Hines was there on the weak side, stuck it back in while being fouled, and sent the Rock into an uproar.

“The play was for (Budd), to make a play, and for Josh and Najai to be in position to, if he missed, to get a putback,” Holloway said. “I thought Najai did a great job of getting in position and catching it, and keeping it high, not dropping it, and finishing.”

Something else Holloway said about the play, though, echoed another point he’s made all season long, which is that the Pirates need to feed off each other, particularly when it comes to turning defense into offense, something they obviously did in the comeback.

“Guys didn’t care who took the shot,” he said. “We were just playing defense, and playing with energy, getting stops, getting runouts, and when you play like that, good things happen. That’s why I keep telling these guys, ‘stop taking ME shots, take a SETON HALL shot.’ And I thought Budd took a Seton Hall shot, and because he took that shot, our guys were in position to rebound, and that’s the difference.”

If that doesn’t prove a point that the Pirates have to play as a unit to win on both ends, then check out the final box score. Seton Hall had just one player (Elijah Fisher) in double figures, and he had just 10 points, but there were a whopping five other players who had either eight or nine, including Clark, Parker, and Hines.

Team, Team, Team.

5. Pressure Building

Holloway’s style of pressure defense has always been hard to play against dating back to his time at Saint Peter’s, but at Seton Hall, he’s been able to truly unleash it upon The Hall’s opponents this season after not having the depth two seasons ago, then not having the guard play last season. That’s been well documented all year.

But watching the proceedings today, when the Pirates were locked in and connected in their defense, Creighton had a hard time doing anything, much less scoring. It wasn’t the most consistent day they’ve had on that end, as the Bluejays were able to put up points in bunches when Seton Hall was out of system, but when it was on, it was ON.

There was a possession early on in the comeback that stuck with me involving Tajuan Simpkins. He was guarding Creighton’s leading scorer, Josh Dix, and he was so glued to his man with the shot clock winding down that he didn’t even come close to even looking at the basket, let alone, getting in a position to avoid the violation.

That’s to say nothing of the final sequence, where the Pirates forced Creighton to use two timeouts, and almost stole the ball once before the back-to-back jump ball sequences turned into the Hines game-winner.

On a day where there were a whole bunch of basketball alumni in the building, it brought to mind my personal favorite Pirate, Paul Gause. For those who may not remember, Gause was a guy from South Jersey who played for Louis Orr and Bobby Gonzalez. He was undersized at about 5-foot-11, but was an all-state football player in high school, and had both incredible strength and quickness.

He used those physical gifts to play in-your-shorts defense on all comers, and ended up second in program history in career steals (currently third all-time behind Fuquan Edwin and Dan Callandrillo). That’s the type of defense I saw from the Pirates in this game, particularly Simpkins, Clark, and Parker, who spearheaded the comeback.

They’ve now used it to win back-to-back Big East games, including one on the road, and by now teams know that it’s always in their back pocket when needed. Heck, even Villanova head coach Kevin Willard mentioned it after his team dealt The Hall a loss before Christmas, sounding thoroughly impressed while doing so.

I haven’t watched many games nationally so far, but I can't imagine there’s another team that plays defense like Seton Hall does when at full power in its press. Therefore, there aren’t many that can simulate going against it in practice, either, so the message has been sent loud and clear: Once the Pirates turn on that fire hose of pressure, it’s “good luck” to whoever they’re playing. The Bluejays found that out the hard way this afternoon.

Western Carolina downs Furman in OT for resilient road win

By Justin Mathis (@J_Math23)

GREENVILLE, S.C. – After winning a thriller earlier this week to close out the previous year, Furman aimed to start 2026 on the right foot against a very tough Western Carolina squad to end the opening week of Southern Conference play.

 

The sellout crowd at Timmons Arena got its money’s worth, but only one group donning purple would leave ecstatic after this one. On this night, the Catamounts (5-8, 1-1 SoCon) emerged from the battle with an 80-77 overtime victory over the Paladins (10-5, 1-1), the first for Western Carolina in Greenville since November 28, 2012.

 

With less than two minutes left in the opening half, WCU’s Cord Stansberry and Marcus Kell each drilled three-pointers to create a 38-27 lead, only to see Charles Johnston drain a triple and Alex Wilkins swish a no-doubter from behind the mid-court logo, slicing the Catamount lead to 38-33.

 

“The place was rocking and unfortunately, I didn’t have our team ready to play in that first half at the necessary intensity and effort that is required to win in league games,” lamented Furman head coach Bob Richey. “We got beat up on the backboard and did a poor job defending the three-point line. I thought that when we finally woke up, we played pretty good basketball, but we didn’t play good enough to win it.” 

 

Furman used an 8-2 burst over the first four minutes of the second half to pull within two points, and later surged ahead 44-42 on consecutive baskets by Wilkins. However, the lead was short-lived, as Justin Johnson and Kell quickly combined for a 7-0 burst and five-point Catamount cushion.

 

The Paladins jumped ahead by one point via an Asa Thomas triple, but Western Carolina picked up a trio of baskets – two from Tidjiane Dioumassi and a Kell layup – to reclaim a 58-53 lead. In the final 2:30 of regulation, each side only tallied one field goal as Wilkins scored a layup for a two point Paladin advantage, but Julien Soumaoro countered with one of his own, tying the game at 65.

 

In overtime, Kell knocked down a jumper and Tom House hit a three-pointer, which made for a 68-67 Furman lead less than a minute into the extra frame. On the next Catamount possession, Soumaoro earned a trip to the charity stripe, making both shots for a 69-68 Western Carolina lead.

 

Those two free throws kickstarted a 9-0 Catamount run that included a Kell triple and two Dioumassi free throws for a 76-68 advantage with 1:15 to play. 

 

“It’s good,” said Western Carolina head coach Tim Craft about being able to go to Soumaoro, who he previously coached at Gardner-Webb. “He has a lot of trust in us, and we have a lot of trust in him. When things get rocky at different points in the game, he’s pretty calm out there and pretty poised. He definitely makes a difference out there.”

 

Thomas was fouled on a three-pointer and made all three shots at the line, trimming the margin to five. On the next trip up court, Soumaoro drained a fadeaway jumper from the left side, pushing the Catamount lead to seven with 40 seconds left.

 

Things got crazy late as Furman employed a full court press, forced back-to-back Western Carolina turnovers on inbound passes, and converted them into layups by Johnston and Wilkins, respectively, and sliced it down to a 78-77 margin with 23 seconds remaining. The Catamounts got the next inbounds pass to Stansberry, who was fouled and made both free throws, securing the road win for Western Carolina.

 

“That’s a great team win,” Craft stated. “We showed a lot of resilience and toughness to bounce back from the loss on Wednesday. I think that says a lot about our confidence to make plays down the stretch. We had to make a couple of big shots like Julien Soumaoro’s pullup to get it to five. Obviously, the press offense with under 30 seconds left wasn’t very good and we’ve got to do a better job with that, but we had a big enough lead to be able to withstand some of that.”

 

Conversely, Richey does not subscribe to any ideas or suggestions that point to absences and injuries on the Paladins’ side of things as reasons for losses or shortcomings.

 

“I don’t want to hear injuries. I am not interested in that,” Richey stated without hesitation. “We had enough for the Mercer game, didn’t we? We felt like we had enough in the Charleston Southern game. We can’t switch the narrative, bail ourselves out, and say we’ve got injuries. Injuries had nothing to do with why (Western Carolina) hit 10 threes and 17 offensive rebounds on us, and we missed nine free throws. There’s a certain way you’ve got to play, and we failed in that area today.” 

 

“We’re going to get better from this and I’ve got full confidence in that. What this team has shown to this point is they’re willing to figure some things out. We’re going to stare at this one right in the face, look at it, call it exactly what it is, and not let anybody set a narrative that this is on injuries. This is on guts, effort, rising up, playing harder, and competing. That’s what this is on and that’s where we’ve got to make a decision. That is exactly what we’re going to do.”

 

Wilkins paced the Paladins with 24 points and six assists, both of which were game highs. Johnston tallied 14 points and six rebounds, while Ben Vander Wal finished with 11 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. As a team, Furman was 11-for-32 from long distance and 8-for-17 from the charity stripe. The Paladins outscored Western Carolina, 34-28, in the paint, and 16-3 in fastbreak points. Furman will travel to Chattanooga on Wednesday before hosting VMI on Saturday at 2 p.m.

 

Soumaoro posted a team-high 16 points and eight boards for Western Carolina, while Kell also tallied 16 points. Stansberry notched 15 points, along with 12 points from Dioumassi. WCU won the rebound battle, 48-35, and shot 10-for-20 from the arc. Western Carolina outscored Furman 18-9 in second chance points, 17-11 in bench points, and 16-13 in points off turnovers. The Catamounts begin their longest two-game SoCon road trip of the season Wednesday at Samford before visiting The Citadel on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Costly miscues from St. John’s rear their head in disappointing loss to Providence

Rick Pitino and St. John’s will go back to drawing board after Red Storm was done in by defensive breakdowns and inability to make shots in loss to Providence Saturday. (Photo by St. John’s Athletics)

NEW YORK — As St. John’s has attempted to balance the expectations that came from its highest-ever preseason ranking in program history with a highly touted transfer class, the marriage between the two has had its ups and downs almost halfway through the season.

Now 9-5 after Saturday’s 77-71 loss to Providence, head coach Rick Pitino was visibly chagrined by the litany of breakdowns that contributed to the setback, one in which the Red Storm surrendered two double-digit leads in the second half. St. John’s will look to turn the page ahead of a weeklong road trip for games against Butler and Creighton that suddenly become more critical to a resume that is losing valuable opportunities to be bolstered in Big East play.

“This is not last year’s team,” Pitino reiterated Saturday. “We have high hopes, but what I’m noticing right now is a team that has a lot of frailties. It showed tonight for the first time that guys are worried about the missed shot rather than being meticulous about scouting. We did some things from a scouting standpoint that we haven’t done all year.”

On an afternoon where Johnnies not named Zuby Ejiofor shot a combined 12-for-55, the senior forward’s dominant 33 points and 15 rebounds fell by the wayside. St. John’s was unable to hold the 62-52 lead it built after Bryce Hopkins’ three-point play with 7:52 to play in regulation, and could not maintain a 68-63 advantage with under three minutes remaining as the Friars closed the game on a 14-3 run.

The game-changing spurt began on an uncharacteristic four-point play by freshman Stefan Vaaks, who drew a foul on Dylan Darling with the shot clock winding down to start the unraveling among the host side.

“You can’t foul a 3-point shooter,” Pitino lamented. “It’s insanity. You can’t not block out in a two-point game. You can’t get beat over the top, you can’t make a turnover on a high-low and be short. It was a collective bunch of guys that just had a bad night.”

“Except for Zuby, every single player had their worst night of the season, and it mushroomed into overflowing with the defensive mistakes. I can live with the fact that you have an off night. I can’t live with the fact that you made those defensive mistakes at the end of the game: Not switching, not blocking out, fouling a 3-point shooter, getting beat one-on-one with a crossover move. All those things are extremely bothersome because the game is on the line.”

St. John’s (9-5, 2-1 Big East) had by far its best home attendance of the season, with a partisan 19,047 — a wide majority of whom were clad in red — packing Madison Square Garden. However, the small but vocal Providence sections in the stands made themselves heard throughout the afternoon, prompting Pitino to remark that the crowd was “50 percent Providence” by virtue of the Friar faithful’s enthusiasm. However, the advantage in numbers did little to quell the uncharacteristic off day of a team that made only 20 of its 71 field goal attempts.

“We just lost our confidence when we kept missing, and they just wanted to feed Zuby the ball every time down the court because they lost their confidence,” Pitino remarked. “It was just a one-man show tonight. Only one guy had it. They got very tight because they were having an off night offensively. What I kept telling them was, defense will win this game, and we did everything wrong defensively with the game on the line. It wasn’t one person, it was everybody making a mistake.”

“It was disappointing by us, disappointing all the way around, and now our backs are to the wall very early in the season.”

Pitino clarified that statement when asked what the prospective way out of this adversity would be, offering a simple remedy while diagnosing a potentially painful truth in the moment.

“We gotta win,” he deadpanned. “When I say back to the wall, it’s because our record’s not good. We lost at home, so it’s not a good situation, but we gotta dig out. Our veterans did not make good defensive plays down the stretch. Anybody in this league can beat us. Anybody. There’s not a team in this league that can’t beat us.”

“On a night where we had our worst offensive performance of the season, we had to be almost perfect defensively. Down the stretch, we were anything but perfect. We’re not gonna get down, we’re gonna try to get better. Like I’ve said all along, this is a good, decent team, they’re gonna play hard. Tonight, they didn’t play smart, and it cost us.”

Inside the Numbers: Bellarmine at Queens

 

Queens guard Chris Ashby knocks down a shot in Saturday's victory over Bellarmine.  (Photo:  Queens Athletics)

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CHARLOTTE – For anyone around the ASUN who hasn’t been inside Curry Arena and relied solely on numbers, they may wonder why Chris Ashby was the league’s Preseason Player of the Year.

Saturday, Ashby answered everybody’s questions. Eleven times.

The senior star set multiple personal records, including a career-high 34 points, as Queens rewrote the school’s record book in a 98-76 offensive outburst over Bellarmine to move to 2-0 in the ASUN.

You know what happened.  Now, let’s go…Inside the Numbers!

• Of all the numbers that stood out from this game – and, as an editor’s note, this is why we’re breaking down the game this way, instead of via a game story – the three-ball obviously carried the day. Queens turned in record performances in numbers of threes attempted (54), made (24), and Ashby’s career-high and Division I best for a Royal (11).

“Obviously, we have record-breaker over here knocking down 11 threes,” Leonard said, while pointing at Ashby. “The hard thing about guarding us is that we allow a lot of guys to bring the ball up – and even (forward) Maban (Jabriel) at times, who’s 6-foot-9. Teams have got to figure out how they’re going to stop that. They decided to play zone and let us shoot 54 threes, which was an interesting decision.”

• Ashby broke a three-point dry spell in the conference opener against Eastern Kentucky, then had Saturday’s career effort. Ashby’s 20 three-point attempts was not a record – or really close – but the Houston native was incredibly effective. Ashby recorded a plus-28 in his time on the floor, which was by far the highest of any Royal.

“It feels good,” Ashby said. “I’ve put in the work, and my teammates just kept trusting me and getting me the ball.”

For his part, Ashby was at least a little aware of the record.

“I knew my record was 10. I didn’t know the school record was 10,” Ashby said. Leonard replied, “It was your record to start, so you broke your own record.”

• Queens tied a season-low in surrendering just three offensive rebounds to the Knights on the day. The Royals also allowed three in a loss to Villanova earlier this season. The mark eclipsed Queens’ prior season-low in a victory, set just two days prior against Eastern Kentucky.

Leonard should have been pleased with that number after the game, right? Well…

“I was pissed about all three,” Leonard said. “I thought we should have had them all. We told them – this is not a joke, I know we were plus-13 on the glass – but before the game, we said we were going to have a party on the glass. We ended up with 13 offensive rebounds to their three – that’s 10 extra possessions.”

“If you’re going to give us 12 more shots and then let us shoot a bunch of threes, we’re going to win. I’m just saying – I appreciate that our guys (repeatedly) went to the glass. They didn’t always get it, but you keep going, you stay consistent, and you wear them down.”

• Leonard was annoyed – coaches always are, in some way – with the Royals’ ball security in the second half. Even still, the result outweighed the annoyance.

“I was super pissed about the turnovers in the second half, because I didn’t think we should have eight. We were still plus-two in that margin.”

Despite the unforced errors, Queens still allowed just eight Bellarmine points off turnovers. The Royals turned 14 Knight miscues into 19 points.

• Saturday demonstrated the Royals’ versatility. Just shy of 48 hours after scoring 50 points in the paint against EKU, Queens notched just 18 in the lane against Bellarmine. This came largely due to the Bellarmine zone allowing the Royals to pass out of the top of the key and find open shooters.
  
  
• Queens set yet another season-high offensively, dishing 27 dimes on 33 made shots. The Royals’ prior season-high was 24 against South Carolina State in mid-December.

“That’s probably my most favorite statistic is the amount of assists,” Leonard said. “Twenty-seven assists for a team is phenomenal. Hats off to these guys. I’m just proud of their effort.”

The Royals have recorded four 20-assist games this season. Along with the 24-assist effort against South Carolina State, Queens helped on 23 buckets against Gardner-Webb and 20 against Sacred Heart.

“I know that our guys play for a spirit and for each other,” Leonard said. “We run the floor for each other. We cut for each other. We screen for each other and we get paint touches for each other.”

• Guard Nas Mann epitomizes the team atmosphere with which Queens plays. Mann continued his development in 2025-26 by nearly logging a triple-double with eight points, eight assists, and 10 rebounds.

“Nas is an unbelievable player, in that he just makes the right play,” Leonard said. That’s why he’s gone from a good player last year to an elite player this year.  They all trust each other and they play to their strengths.”

Mann explained the evolution of his game.

“We were talking over the summer, and the biggest thing they wanted me to do was that they said, ‘We want you to be Josh Hart for our team. Josh Hart rebounds, he scores, he passes, and I responded to them and said I couldn’t pass,’” Mann joked. “I surprised myself, and now I’m over here. You’ve got unbelievable shooters around me. You’ve got Chris, you’ve got (forward) Carson (Schwieger), you’ve got (forward Yoav) Berman.”

“It’s really all just slowed down for me. I’m seeing the lanes open up. I’m seeing my shots open up. I’m playing through my jump shot and playing off two feet. It’s really just the work and watching film, (along with) my coaches and teammates and all the faith they have in me.”

Ashby’s 34 led Queens and all scorers. Ashby hit 11-of-21 tries (11-of-20 from three) on the day. Three Royals joined him in doubles, including Schwieger’s 17 on 6-for-12 shooting (5-for-11 from distance), 12 for Jordan Watford to go with his eight helpers, and 11 for Berman. Queens connected on 33-of-67 (49.3 percent) from the field and 24-of-54 (44.4 percent) from beyond the arc. The Royals sank 8-of-13 (61.5 percent) from the line.

Star Bellarmine forward Jack Karasinski exceeded his 21 points per game average, booking 24 on 7-for-12 shooting and a perfect 5-of-5 from distance. Brian Waddell added 15 on 7-of-11 shooting, with Kenyon Goodin scoring 11 and Tyler Doyle contributing 10. The Knights hit 25-of-48 tries (52.1 percent) and knocked down 45 percent (9-of-20) from distance. Bellarmine went to the line 25 times, hitting 17 (68 percent).

Bellarmine returns to Louisville for a pair of home games, beginning with a Thursday tilt against 2-0 Central Arkansas. The Knights and Bears are set for a 7:00 (Eastern) tip from Knights Hall, with streaming coverage over ESPN+. Queens ventures to the Sunshine State for the first of a pair against Jacksonville Thursday night. Game time from Swisher Gym is set for 7:00, with ESPN+ handling the stream.

QUEENS 98, BELLARMINE 76

BELLARMINE (5-9, 0-2 ASUN)

Waddell 7-11 0-0 15, Donald 1-4 0-0 2, Karasinski 7-12 5-9 24, Goodin 3-5 3-4 11, Bolden 0-2 0-0 0, Doyle 3-5 3-4 10, Watkins 0-0 3-4 3, Wilson 2-4 1-2 5, Hunter 0-2 0-0 0, Whitaker 1-2 0-0 2, Neal 1-1 0-0 2, Clark 0-0 2-2 2, Wassler 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-48 17-25 76.

QUEENS (7-8, 2-0)

Parker 3-3 2-3 9, Schwieger 6-12 0-1 17, Mann 3-8 1-3 8, Ashby 11-21 1-2 34, Berman 4-10 0-0 11, Watford 3-5 4-4 12, Larson 1-1 0-0 2, Jabriel 1-3 0-0 3, Clark 1-3 0-0 2, Henry 0-1 0-0 0, Celestin 0-0 0-0 0, Crider 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 33-67 8-13 98.

Halftime:  Queens 50-40. 3-Point goals:  Queens 24-54 (Parker 1-1, Schwieger 5-11, Mann 1-5, Ashby 11-20, Berman 3-8, Watford 2-4, Jabriel 1-3, Clark 0-2, Henry 0-1), Bellarmine 9-20 (Waddell 1-3, Donald 0-2, Karasinski 5-5, Goodin 2-3, Bolden 0-1, Doyle 1-2, Wilson 0-1, Hunter 0-2, Whitaker 0-1). Fouled out:  NA.  Rebounds:  Queens 40 (Mann 10), Bellarmine 27 (Goodin 6). Total fouls:  Queens 23, Bellarmine 17. Technicals:  NA.

 

Friar freshmen outduel St. John’s seniors as PC topples Johnnies at MSG

Jamier Jones’ double-double helped Providence overcome double-digit deficit to upset St. John’s Saturday. (Photo by Providence College Athletics)

NEW YORK — Kim English’s first subtle shoutout after gaining a signature win his Providence team needed this season was directed to an unlikely source.

English, whose Friars had not played since a December 19 home loss to Seton Hall, brought his team into the proverbial lion’s den Saturday, taking on St. John’s at Madison Square Garden. Providence looked like a team coming back from a layoff in the opening minutes, too, spotting St. John’s the first 13 points of the game. But as the battle went on, English — who played for former St. John’s head coach Mike Anderson in college — found inspiration in Curt Cignetti, the Indiana football coach who now has the top-ranked Hoosiers two wins away from an improbable national championship after demolishing Alabama in the Rose Bowl this week.

Prior to its rout of the Crimson Tide in Pasadena, Indiana had not played since winning the Big Ten Conference championship on December 6. Providence’s layoff was only about half as long, but yielded a similar end result after a 14-3 run over the final 3:19 of regulation closed out a 77-71 upset of the Red Storm.

“I thought the start was indicative of our guys having such a long break,” English reflected. “Fifteen days off is tough, but I gained some confidence from that watching Indiana football the other night. They had a month off between games, and what they did, they were so disciplined and so consistent. There were a bunch of swells in the game where we weren’t disciplined and consistent and tough, but I felt like at the end of the game, we really were. The players deserve all the credit for finding a way to win this game.”

While St. John’s had the experience edge on paper between seniors Zuby Ejiofor and former Friar Bryce Hopkins, who faced his former team for the first time Saturday, Providence’s two biggest contributors were a pair of freshmen playing only their third career Big East games. Jamier Jones drew the assignment on Hopkins, finding motivation in guarding the erstwhile Friar, and eventually outplaying him to the tune of 15 points and 10 rebounds.

“I took my matchup personal, and I feel like I did great,” Jones said. “I feel like I took him off the boards, I went to go get every rebound, but me and him had to fight for it.”

The revealing insight begged another question, considering neither Jones nor Hopkins had played alongside one another. Why was it personal?

“Him being here last year,” Jones explained. “I feel if he was here this year, I’d feel like I should still play over him, so that’s why I took that matchup (personal).”

What Jones helped start, Stefan Vaaks helped finish, scoring a team-high 16 points. The Estonian marksman had been plagued by a stretch of not getting shots to fall in recent games, but his fortunes changed Saturday. Vaaks scored only one point at halftime as St. John’s rode Ejiofor as far as he could take a struggling offense, but did not miss a shot after the intermission as the Friars slowly chipped away.

“I think I played the same way the first and the second halves,” Vaaks said. “I just didn’t get the shots in the first half, and then in the second half, I think I put my main focus on defense and making shots. And finally, man, after three bad games, I think I had these open shots. I didn’t force anything, and that’s why I made them.”

Jones and Vaaks teamed up for what turned out to be the coup de grâce in the final minutes. After Ian Jackson put St. John’s ahead by one with a pair of free throws, Jones was in the right place at the right time as he was able to corral a Jaylin Sellers miss, then dishing beyond the arc to Vaaks, who found a clean look on the right arc, stepped to his left, and splashed a three that put Providence ahead to stay. 

“Me doing what I do best, and then me finding our best shooter,” Jones said of the go-ahead basket.

Providence (8-6, 1-2 Big East) survived 33 points and 15 rebounds — 11 on the offensive glass — from Ejiofor, who accounted for nearly half the St. John’s offense on an afternoon in which the Red Storm shot 28 percent from the floor. And much like the Indiana football team English cited as a motivator, his own outfit was all about business Saturday. The Friars may not have a gamebreaker in the same vein as Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, but on this day, they recognized the task at hand and delivered.

“One through nine, there’s not much separation on this team,” English said. “We don’t have a go-to guy on this team, the go-to guy is the open man. It’s about us defending as a group, and today, we did. It’s about winning the game. That’s what we talked about all throughout the stretch of this game. I’m happy for the guys.”

“I told the team, we were 7-6 after Seton Hall. The truth is, if we get one defensive rebound at the end of the Virginia Tech game, if we secure the ball at the end of the Butler game, we get one stop on Seton Hall up one with a minute left, we’re 10-3. And if we were 10-3, we would still be the exact same team that struggles to play together at times, that struggles to defend, struggles to rebound. So the onus was on us locking into what we had to do this game. It had nothing to do with storylines. And our guys answered the bell.”

LIU vs. CCSU Photo Gallery

Photos from LIU’s 84-78 win over Central Connecticut on January 2, 2026:

(All photos by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

Iona recovers from Mount misstep with resilient win over Siena

Toby Harris led Iona with 25 points as Gaels held off late Siena rally to retake lead and defeat Saints. (Photo by Will Quincy/Iona Athletics)

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — Toby Harris may not have verbalized having something to prove Friday, but Iona’s fifth-year senior forward did not need much time to demonstrate it.

Coming off a deflating loss to Mount St. Mary’s Monday night in which the Gaels saw a second-half lead evaporate at the hands of the reigning Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion, the Division III transfer was simply looking to make up for a missed opportunity.

Harris did that, and more.

On his 23rd birthday, the explosive wing scored 15 of his 25 points in the first half and remained consistent as Iona overcame a frantic Siena comeback to down the Saints, 75-72, beginning the new calendar year with a successful defense of its home floor and improving to 10-5 on the season.

“I’ve always believed I belonged out here,” said Harris, who connected on six of his 12 three-point attempts and ended the evening with a 9-for-15 shooting night. “The main thing for me is a lot of these teams might have reached out to me when I entered the portal, or didn’t at all, so it’s almost like an added chip on my shoulder when I come into every game. I’m a little crazy, a little competitive, so I like to think of it like, ‘these guys didn’t want me,’ so it’s a little bit of that.”

While Harris sent a subtle message to those who passed on his services, his head coach heralded the togetherness of his roster to turn the page from Monday’s setback by banding as one yet again to atone for losing a 12-point lead as Siena (9-5, 2-1 MAAC) used a full-court press to regain its momentum and steal the lead on several occasions down the stretch before CJ Anthony and Keshawn Williams’ master shotmaking display put the Saints away.

“Mount was such a great learning experience for us and for feeling out this conference,” Dan Geriot remarked. “A lot of our guys don’t necessarily understand what the MAAC is all the time, and that’s where our grind mentality started to take over (Friday), which was great. At The Mount, we were kind of searching for answers that were in front of us, but we weren’t able to really execute them. I thought it was great to be able to handle it and withstand it, and it was great for our group.”

Geriot shook up his lineup Friday, a tactic he attributed to Williams and Denver Anglin battling illnesses during the week and thus not having enough time to prepare adequately.

Each guard contributed, however, but in their stead, Harris and Alliou Fall got the nod in the opening five. The latter recorded a game-high plus-12 efficiency rating in 30 minutes, bookending the metric with seven points and seven rebounds in perhaps his best outing as a Gael.

“He can screen and get our guards a little loose,” Geriot said of Fall’s efficiency impacting the Iona offense. “Alliou was great. I just think he rapidly improved at a pretty high clip. The more experience, the better for him, and he’s playing in a role that we need. It’s a necessity for us, and I think he’s done a great job.”

Harris did as well, using his natural shooting ability to get open in Iona’s NBA-inspired offense to find gaps in the defense and use each part of the floor to his advantage.

“It’s very nice,” he said of Geriot’s system playing to his skill set. “I think we’re really figuring out how to get — we call it ‘eyes out,’ Geriot calls it ‘piercing the paint.’ That’s something we’re big on. It’s definitely nice to have that freedom to get them up when they’re open and shoot some. It’s really nice, and I’m happy to be here.”

And while Harris and Fall started the productive night for the Gaels, Anthony — as he has several times already moving toward the midpoint of the season — finished it. The senior point guard was quiet offensively in the first half, playing more of a facilitator, but ultimately found his rhythm to finish with 10 points and 13 assists in a performance his teammate Harris dubbed “high-level.”

Perhaps most impressive was Anthony’s ball control. The assist total commands attention on its own, but amassing 13 helpers against just one turnover was another step in the right direction for the Cincinnati transfer.

“It’s about the timing of how we’re attacking certain sets, certain spacing,” Geriot explained. “The timing of what he’s doing is really growing, the whole thing of CJ playing on the scout team last year, he’s seeing all these different looks and all these different situations. But now, there’s obviously consequences to whatever he’s doing, both good and bad, and for me, that’s where this has been great to see him feel this and understand it.”

Iona is now 2-2 in MAAC play, alternating losses and wins in each of its first two sets of league splits. The first quarter of conference action culminates Sunday when the Gaels visit Marist, but record aside, the cohesion of a complete unit has taken root earlier than expected for a group that had more questions than answers when it was first formed seven months ago.

“What we’re doing here is something kind of unprecedented,” Harris conceded. “You bring in 15 new guys and we’ve only been together since June, so you’re bound to have these ups and downs, but I think we’re finally starting to figure it out as a team. We’re all about business, we’re all about our preparation. I think it’s just going to continue to build and we’re gonna find our momentum.”

“That’s just what we are. We’re a team. A lot of programs in the country that can’t say that, and I think we can probably say we’re a team. Everyone contributes, and I think you’ll continue to see that on a daily basis.”

Queens clamps down on defense, outlasts EKU in battle of top ASUN teams

 

Queens' Nas Mann (1) and Avantae Parker (6) celebrate after a play during Queens' Thursday win over EKU. (Photo:  Queens Athletics)

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CHARLOTTE – New Year’s Day marked the opening day of ASUN conference play for 2026. Based on how Thursday’s game between Queens and Eastern Kentucky went, it very well could have been a preview of what may take place the final day of the league’s tournament in Jacksonville.

Queens placed five scorers in double figures and broke open a 40-minute heavyweight bout with a late 11-3 run to finally fend off EKU, 91-89, at Curry Arena.

“Hats off to EKU,” Queens coach Grant Leonard said after the game. “(Coach) A.W. (Hamilton)’s club has been the winningest program in the ASUN over the last three years, and we knew they were going to come in here and battle like crazy.”

As demonstrative as Leonard’s words were, they may have been an understatement.

Eastern Kentucky (4-10, 0-1 ASUN) scored six of the game’s first seven points, as Queens missed its first five shots. Avantae Parker started the festivities for the Royals, booking an and-one that nearly erased the Colonels’ early lead. Queens (6-8, 1-0) seized the lead with a 6-0 run that set the tone for a back-and-forth affair until the final horn. The sides struggled to create separation in an opening half that was largely separated by no greater than two possessions.

Queens looked to gain some breathing room with a 7-0 run that stretched the Royals’ lead to 44-35. The burst was punctuated by a high-effort put-back bucket by Parker over two Colonels, which led to an extremely rare fist-pump and yell from Leonard before the Royals’ big man went on to make the free throw.

“The emphasis for us was for urgency in this game,” Leonard said. “I thought that was our most urgent play in the entire game. (Guard) Chris (Ashby) pulled up for three, which is what we wanted him to do. Avantae went up one-on-two and won the ball and put it back in for an and-one.”

Leonard then addressed Parker’s earning the team’s adopted mascot, Buddy the Street Dog.

“He’s got Buddy the Street Dog for a reason,” Leonard said. “It’s his for the day. He earned it.  I thought he was the hardest-playing guy on the floor.”

The burst would be quickly countered, however. Eastern Kentucky closed the half on a 14-2 run, buoyed by four straight three-pointers – three of them from guard MJ Williams – to take a 49-46 advantage to the interval. Despite the quick burst, Williams would manage just two second-half points – largely because of a reminder from Leonard and his staff.

“I had some choice words for them (at the half),” Leonard said. “He’s one-hand dominant and he’s small, so he shouldn’t be able to shoot over you. If he’s shooting (over you), there’s not enough ball pressure being applied. I thought (that) in the second half, he was way more contested, there was way more pressure, and he was way more sped-up.”

Queens bounced back from the break with three consecutive Parker buckets as part of a run that again leveled the score at 56 following a Yoav Berman basket. The sequence of ties and narrow leads for both sides again ensued throughout much of the second half, creating similar drama to a game played in March. Even when Carson Schwieger canned a triple in front of the Royals’ bench to extend the lead to four, the fans seemed unable to exhale.

As the Royals finally managed to break free a bit with a run in the final four-minute segment of the game, the reason Williams struggled in the second half also proved to be the catalyst for Queens – freshman guard Jordan Watford. Watford got it done on defense, providing several key stops, including one on Colonels guard Turner Buttry that jarred the ball loose and compelled a 10-second violation. He got it done on offense, recording six straight Royal points during the surge. Most importantly, he got it done by responding to his coach’s challenge.

“(Leonard) told me straight up that you can’t play if you’re not going to guard,” Watford said. “That’s kind of been the label on me – people have been saying I can’t guard. That’s not the label I want. I want to be able to show I can guard.”

“(That was) unbelievable character from Jordan,” Leonard added. “To take that – to get put on the bench and to respond. In the first half, he was by far the best defensive player (at) pressuring the ball. That’s character, and I appreciate that from Jordan. He’s always had it. Now he’s just got to maintain it.”

Berman proved to be another defensive standout. As effective as Berman was on the offensive end of the floor, his slowing down of EKU forward Montavious Myrick earned special plaudits from Leonard.

“Berman’s a fantastic player, and I wouldn’t be shocked if he’s our leading scorer at the end of (the) conference (season). He’s actually been one of our best defenders, as well,” Leonard said. “He guarded Myrick a bunch down the stretch and did the best job on him.”

“Hats off to Berman. He can guard guards. He can guard forwards. He’s really physical, and his basketball IQ is off the charts. I’m really happy with where Berman’s at.”

Ashby also broke an 0-for-15 string from three during the game, draining a triple in front of the Royals’ bench. Leonard has full confidence in his star guard.

“He was 1-for-8 -- alright, he was 1-for-8, and I wish he had shot more, but he's still a plus in the plus-minus, and Chris is a leader by example,” Leonard said. “He's often the toughest dude. He never says anything (negative).”

“We all love Chris, and he makes every single guy on our team better, because of the way he practices and how hard he works. We all trust Chris.  Chris is an unbelievable player.”

Eastern Kentucky coach A.W. Hamilton offered praise for Queens after the game.

“Give them credit,” Hamilton said. “They got 50 points in the paint. They got the calls and they outplayed us. We had a shot right at the end. We let this one get away.”

Watford led Queens with 17 points on 6-for-10 shooting and 5-for-5 from the line in 19 minutes of reserve duty, logging a team-leading plus-20 during his time on the floor. Parker booked 16 and a season-high eight boards. Berman tallied 14 on 6-for-9 shooting, while Nas Mann knocked down 7-of-8 free throw tries to finish with 12. Maban Jabriel logged 11 in 19 minutes off the bench.

The Royals shot 50.8 percent (31-for-61) from the field, shaking off a 5-for-24 (20.8 percent) effort from distance. Queens also shot 77.4 percent (24-for-31) from the line.

Williams led EKU and all scorers with 18, hitting 6-of-12 from the field and 4-of-8 from three. Myrick added 16 on 6-of-12 shooting. Buttry finished with 14, while Jackson Holt poured in 13 off the bench and Juan Cranford tallied 12. The Colonels shot 49.2 percent (30-for-61) while hitting 42.4 percent (14-for-33) from beyond the arc. EKU  hit 71.4 percent (15-for-21) from the stripe.

Eastern Kentucky travels to The Coliseum in Carrollton, Ga., to take on West Georgia Saturday afternoon. Tip time is set for 2:00 (Eastern), with streaming planned for ESPN+. Queens remains at home to welcome Bellarmine to Curry Arena. Game time is set for 3:00, with ESPN+ handling the coverage.

QUEENS 91, EASTERN KENTUCKY 89

EASTERN KENTUCKY (4-10, 0-1 ASUN)

Buttry 3-7 5-5 14, Cranford 4-13 2-2 12, Myrick 6-12 4-9 16, Ball 2-4 0-0 6, Paul 2-2 2-2 6, Williams 6-12 2-3 18, Harris 0-0 0-0 0, Cooper 2-3 0-0 4, Holt 5-9 0-0 13, White 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-61 15-21 89.

QUEENS (6-8, 1-0)

Mann 2-8 7-8 12, Parker 6-7 4-9 16, Ashby 1-8 0-0 3, Schwieger 3-7 1-2 9, Berman 6-9 2-2 14, Watford 6-10 5-5 17, Henry 0-1 2-2 2, Clark 1-3 0-0 2, Larson 2-3 1-1 5, Jabriel 4-5 2-2 11. Totals 30-58 15-21 82.

Halftime:  Eastern Kentucky 49-46. 3-Point goals:  EKU 14-33 (Buttry 3-7, Cranford 2-9, Ball 2-4, Williams 4-8, Holt 3-5), Queens 5-24 (Mann 1-4, Ashby 1-8, Schwieger 2-6, Berman 0-2, Clark 0-2, Jabriel 1-2). Fouled out:  NA.  Rebounds:  Queens 37 (Parker 8), EKU 29 (Myrick 7). Total fouls:  EKU 26, Queens 18. Technicals:  NA.