Queens fends off persistent High Point with late free throws

 

Queens guard AJ McKee had 21, including the game-winning free throws Tuesday. (Photo:  Queens University of Charlotte Athletic Communications)

CHARLOTTE – The approaching holidays serve as a reminder that no matter how tough life may be, everything can be better with the surroundings of home.

Queens dropped games at Marshall and Southern Illinois to start the season, then welcomed a High Point team that was averaging over 101 points a game for its home opener. That was nothing Curry Arena – and a near-capacity crowd – couldn’t eventually fix.

The Royals got a combined 39 points from AJ McKee and BJ McLaurin – both of whom broke the 1,000-point mark for their careers in the contest – and used a late second-half run to turn away the visiting Panthers Tuesday night, 74-72.

“The student section brought the noise and the energy,” Queens coach Grant Leonard said of the home atmosphere. “They were the sixth man. I thought there were a couple times when High Point threw some really good plays at us and a couple good runs. The crowd kept us in it. They were phenomenal.”

High Point (1-2) broke open the early tussle between the sides, using a 7-0 run to take a 14-8 lead partially behind threes from Trae Benham and Cade Potter. Queens (1-2) would tie the game on two occasions as the first half elapsed but could not wrest away the lead from High Point until a Chris Ashby triple nearly nine minutes later. Neither club led by greater than three except for a five-point High Point margin afforded them by a Bryson Childress three.

High Point outshot Queens by over nine percent in the opening stanza, knocking down 45.5 percent (15-for-33) of its shots. The Panthers also enjoyed a nine-rebound advantage over the Royals in the period, along with a 14-2 bench points margin.

The Panthers tore off an 8-2 run to start the second 20, with a Benham trey putting High Point ahead by nine with just over 17 minutes remaining. Queens countered – albeit slowly – with a 16-7 run over the span of seven minutes that leveled the contest at 53. Another High Point run ensued, with a 7-1 Panther burst putting the visitors ahead, 60-54, with just over eight minutes left to play.

The visitors maintained a six-point lead at 66-60 with 6:12 to play, before Kobe George and McKee keyed a 9-0 Royals run. George knocked down a triple and hit a free throw, while McKee put home two layups and a free throw to put Queens ahead, 69-66. A Kimani Hamilton bucket and Juslin Bodo Bodo free throw again nicely knotted the proceedings at 69.

“Kobe was awesome,” Leonard said. “I always tell guys that you’ve got to be ready – next man up. I thought he made some phenomenal plays. Most importantly, I thought he got a couple loose balls where it squirted out and he was the one who got them. That’s really what we’re trying to emphasize to our guys right now. The little things matter. We’ve got to win those 50-50 balls.”

Duke Miles turned away a two-point Queens lead for High Point, sinking a triple with 1:22 remaining to put  the Panthers ahead, 71-69. Bodo Bodo then blocked a George layup attempt on the other end, only for the bucket to spit out a Miles layup attempt once High Point regained the ball. McKee forced a steal, then a Queens layup circled out of the cup. As time dripped away, McKee attempted to advance near the Queens bench. Kimani Hamilton was whistled for a foul, with McKee putting home both free throws.

“If I’d had a better play and I’d seen it, I would have made something happen,” McKee said. “I just wanted to be a playmaker tonight to get my team the win.”

“I just trust AJ,” Leonard said. “I was really happy that late in the clock as the ball squirted loose, he was able to be the one that got it, because I trust AJ to make the right decision. I think he forced the officials into calling that, because he was going to the basket and they pushed him out of bounds. They had to call it.

“I trust AJ late in the game like I trusted (former guard) Kenny (Dye) last year. AJ’s been here five years. He’s won a lot of games. We always want the ball in our best player’s hands and to let him make the decision.”

High Point had two final tries to win the game. The first attempt saw a three-quarters court pass sail out of bounds, and the Panthers were unable to get off a final try after a McKee free throw as the horn sounded.

McKee led Queens and tied for the high scorer of the night with 21. The Charlotte native’s total was bolstered by a 7-for-8 performance from the charity stripe. McLaurin added 18, canning four threes that helped lead Royal charges. Queens connected on 24-of-65 tries (36.9 percent) on the night, making 11-of-28 threes (39.3 percent). The Royals were solid from the free throw line, hitting 15-of-21 (71.4 percent) of their attempts.

Miles’ 21 paced the Panthers’ effort. Miles hit 9-of-18 from the floor and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. Kimani Hamilton added a double-double, logging 15 points and 10 boards. High Point shot 44.6 percent (29-for-65) on the night, including an 8-for-22 (36.4 percent) performance from distance. The Panthers managed just 6-of-12 (50 percent) from the line.

Both teams will next participate in MTEs (multi-team events). High Point travels to Hertz Arena in Estero, Fla., for the Gulf Coast Showcase. The Panthers open play against Iona at 11:00am (Eastern) Monday morning, battling Iona with streaming coverage on FloSports. Queens ventures to Philadelphia, Pa., and opens play against Fairfield Saturday night at 6:00 Eastern. The event will take place in Drexel University’s Daskalakis Athletic Center and also be streamed over FloSports.

QUEENS 74, HIGH POINT 72

HIGH POINT (1-2)

Hamilton 5-11 4-8 15, Bodo Bodo 1-2 1-2 3, Benham 3-8 0-0 8, Thiam 3-7 0-0 7, Miles 9-18 1-1 21, Giffa 4-9 0-0 8, Potter 3-7 0-1 7, Hines 0-0 0-0 0, Sargiunas 0-0 0-0 0, Childress 1-3 0-0 3. 29-65 6-12 72.

QUEENS (1-2)

McLaurin 5-12 4-4 18, McKee 6-16 7-8 21, Cash 4-10 0-0 9, Ashby 2-4 0-0 6, Albury 3-13 3-7 9, Sebock 1-2 0-0 2, Wilson 0-0 0-0 0, George 2-4 1-2 6, Pollard 1-4 0-0 3. Totals 24-65 15-21 72.

Halftime:  High Point 38-35. 3-Point goals:  Queens 11-28 (McLaurin 4-7, McKee 2-5, Cash 1-5, Ashby 2-4, Albury 0-1, Sebock 0-1, George 1-1, Pollard 1-4), High Point 8-22 (Hamilton 1-1, Benham 2-6, Thiam 1-2, Miles 2-4, Giffa 0-3, Potter 1-3, Childress 1-3). Fouled out:  None. Rebounds:  High Point 50 (Potter 12), Queens 31 (McKee 6). Assists:  Queens 13 (McKee 4), High Point 8 (Miles 3). Total fouls:  High Point 16, Queens 16. Technicals:  NA.

Points off turnovers:  Queens 21, High Point 2.  Points in the paint:  High Point 40, Queens 24.  Second-chance points:  Queens 10, High Point 7.  Fast-break points:  Queens 13, High Point 4.  Bench points:  High Point 18, Queens 11.