Pollard posts two career highs and first career double-double in Queens' win over Jacksonville

 

Queens forward Jaxon Pollard had a career night in a must-win situation for Queens Friday night. (Photo:  Queens University of Charlotte Athletics)

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CHARLOTTE – Following a tough conference loss Wednesday, Queens found itself searching for answers. The Royals found an answer – and, in the process, a career night from one of their players – Friday night.

Queens forward Jaxon Pollard notched his first double-double of his Queens career and notched career-highs in both points and boards, helping to bolster one of the Royals’ best defensive efforts of the season. Pollard booked 11 points and hauled in 14 caroms, while the Royals held Jacksonville to 33.3 percent shooting in the second half and under 37 percent for the game In a 74-65 decision at Curry Arena.

“(Coach Grant Leonard) always says that we need to be the hardest-playing dudes,” Pollard said after the game. “We really took that on as a challenge. I think we really did that tonight.”

Queens (11-17, 5-8 ASUN) quickly broke open a knotted early game. The Royals sparked an 11-0 run to create separation, then responded with another five-point run to counter a small Jacksonville burst. The bigger burst for the Dolphins was still to come, though.

Jacksonville (13-14, 4-9) punched back with an 11-0 burst over the span of 2:40, thinly slicing a 12-point Queens bulge to a single point at 26-25 with five minutes to go in the first half. Leonard used a stoppage as the lead dwindled – though not for the reasons one might expect.

“It wasn’t anything negative at all,” Leonard said. “It was more just to kind of settle our thoughts and make sure we had a good possession offensively. They were really, at that point, trying to heat us up defensively and they were really pressuring the ball. We just wanted to get something to alleviate some of the pressure. I thought we did that and got a great look.”

The conversation proved fruitful, as back-to-back buckets from Kalib Mathews and Chris Ashby quickly extended the lead back to six. The Royals closed the period on a 12-2 run to take an 11-point advantage to the interval.

Queens continued its hot play into the second half, seeing its double-digit lead disappear just once in the first 18 minutes of the stanza on a 5-0 run capped by a Gyasi Powell layup. The Royals eventually grew their lead as high as 16 with six minutes to play. The lead allowed Queens to play the multi-faceted brand of basketball to which Leonard has aspired all season.

“There are going to be games where we can play fast, but we were able to pull the cord in the last five or six minutes and get long possessions,” Leonard said. “We had one where Jaxon got a layup with one second on the shot clock. Those are the possessions that you win that make yourself a really good offensive team, when you go fast and go slow in the same game.”

The Pollard layup Leonard referenced put Queens ahead, 67-55, with 2:11 to play. Jacksonville refused to go away quietly, though. The Dolphins but the lead to six twice with under a minute to play, but Deyton Albury helped put away the game with free throws after both Gyasi Powell layups to shrink the lead. Pollard hit the final free throw to finish the scoring.

“They’re a team of runs,” Pollard said. “I think last time, we got up 12 or 13 points and they came all the way back and beat us. They’re really good at that, because they play really hard and they’re a very defensive-minded team. Guys like (guard) AJ (McKee) and Deyton and their leadership just help us to stay focused in times like that and pull through.”

Pollard’s story is similar to that of many of his Queens teammates and many in the transfer portal era. The 6-foot-7 forward transferred to Queens from Salt Lake Community College before the season, following a tough adjustment path experienced by many JUCO transfers. Friday may have been the breakthrough Pollard sought.

“It’s been hard at times,” Pollard said. “(Leonard) just gives me more confidence than anyone you could ever imagine. He just tells me to play hard every day. Sometimes I airball threes or make dumb turnovers. He calls me Maverick sometimes. He just tells me to play hard. He trusts me, he loves me, and I really appreciate that. It helps me to keep my head on straight.”

“Jaxon did an unbelievable job,” Leonard said. “Most of his rebounds were in a crowd. He’s not the most athletic dude on the floor or the biggest dude on the floor, but rebounding a lot of times is effort and anticipation, and he did an unbelievable job.”

Pollard’s effort mirrored that of his team. After just 48 hours had elapsed following a demoralizing loss, the Royals turned in outstanding efforts on defense and on the glass, forcing star Jacksonville guard Robert McCray to shoot 20 times to get his 22 points, among other successes.

“The message was that we were going to do the job on the glass,” Leonard said. We were going to make sure we stayed between them and the basket. I thought we were able to force them into a lot of turnovers when they were driving and when they were posting. We were able to dig the ball out and scrape it out. I thought our guys executed that to a ‘T’, and that was the difference in the game.”

McKee paced the Royals in scoring with 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting and 5-of-5 from the line. Albury returned from a one-game injury absence to tally 12 on 4-for-8 shooting and 4-for-6 from the line, adding four rebounds and three helpers. Pollard added the aforementioned double-double in nearly 31 minutes of play, adding two assists and a block. The Royals shot 45.3 percent (24-for-53) on the night, despite a 9-for-23 effort (39.1 percent) from distance. Queens hit 68 percent (17-of-25) from the line.

McCray led all scorers with 22, though he hit just 8-of-20 shots and only one of seven hoists from beyond the arc. Powell contributed 12, grabbing four misses and dishing a pair of dimes. The Dolphins shot 36.9 percent (24-for-65) on the night and 25 percent (7-of-28) from bonus territory. Jacksonville hit 10-of-14 tries (71.4 percent) from the line.

Queens travels to the Edmunds Center in DeLand, Fla., to take on Stetson Thursday night. That game is slated for a 7:00 (Eastern) start, with streaming coverage available via ESPN+. Jacksonville returns to action Friday night on its home deck at Swisher Gym against North Florida. Tip time is set for 7:00, with coverage over ESPN+.

QUEENS 74, JACKSONVILLE 65

JACKSONVILLE (13-14, 4-9 ASUN)

Payne 3-9 3-4 9, Pruitt 1-2 0-1 2, Powell 5-8 0-0 12, McCray 8-20 5-7 22, Cook 2-9 0-0 6, Workman 3-10 0-0 6, Sabino 0-0 0-0 0, Bell 2-7 2-2 8, Rivers 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-65 10-14 65.

QUEENS (11-17, 5-8)

McLaurin 2-6 1-2 6, Pollard 4-9 1-3 11, Mathews 1-3 4-4 6, McKee 6-12 5-5 19, Cash 3-6 1-2 8, Albury 4-8 4-6 12, Ashby 3-6 0-0 9, Wilson 0-0 0-2 0, Sebock 1-3 1-1 3. Totals 24-53 17-25 74.

Halftime:  Queens 38-27. 3-Point goals:  Queens 9-23 (McLaurin 1-4, Pollard 2-5, Mathews 0-1, McKee 2-4, Cash 1-1, Albury 0-1, Ashby 3-6, Sebock 0-1), Jacksonville 7-28 (Pruitt 0-1, Powell 2-3, McCray 1-7, Cook 2-7, Workman 0-1, Bell 2-7). Fouled out:  NA.  Rebounds:  Jacksonville 42 (Payne 12), Queens 34 (Pollard 14). Total fouls:  Jacksonville 22, Queens 16. Technicals:  NA.

Points off turnovers:  Queens 17, Jacksonville 8.  Points in the paint:  Jacksonville 34, Queens 28.  Second-chance points:  Jacksonville 13, Queens 9.  Fast-break points:  Queens 17, Jacksonville 4.  Bench points:  Queens 24, Jacksonville 14.