Quinnipiac University
Albany
QU Men's Basketball Knocks Off Albany in Overtime, 76-73
11/22/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
ALBANY, N.Y. – The Quinnipiac University men's basketball team earned a huge road win on Saturday night, defeating University of Albany in overtime, 76-73, at SEFCU Arena in upstate New York.
All square after 40 minutes of play, Quinnipiac persevered in overtime to escape with the three-point win. Quinnipiac improved to 2-1 overall and 5-0 against Albany in the Division I era.
Ousmane Drame (Boston, Mass.) paced Quinnipiac with 18 points, while three others finished with 14 points apiece. Drame went 8-for-8 from the free-throw line; including several clutch ones down the stretch. He also had six rebounds and three blocks.
Zaid Hearst (Bethesda, Md.), Evan Conti (Bayside, N.Y.) and Dimitri Floras (Nashua, N.H.) each added 14 points. Hearst had five rebounds and five assists while Evan Conti (Bayside, N.Y.) went 3-for-3 from the free-throw line, including two huge ones in the waning seconds of regulation. Floras shined in the second half, picking up all of his points between the second half and overtime.
After a slow start, Quinnipiac impressed in the second half to overcome a 16 point deficit. The spurt came over the first 10 minutes of the second half, mounting an 19-9 run to take its first lead since Drame's opening basket 20 seconds after tip-off. Albany went close to eight minutes without a field goal during the stint. Following Quinnipiac regaining the lead, neither team led by more than four points for the remainder of regulation.
With less than a minute to play, Conti sank two free-throws to put Quinnipiac ahead, 62-60. Albany's Peter Hooley tied the game up at 62-62 with 41 seconds left, and the score held up to force overtime.
In the extra frame, Floras and Conti helped Quinnipiac build a six point advantage with 1:48 remaining in overtime. Albany got to within one point after a Hooley trey with 13 seconds left, but Drame and Hearst sealed the deal by making four straight free-throws to sustain the three-point lead. Albany's last-second heave was off the mark and Quinnipiac celebrated at center court.
Free-throws and rebounding paved the path to success for the Bobcats. Quinnipiac went 19-for-21 from the stripe, which included 7-for-8 in the overtime period. Timely rebounding also factored in. The Bobcats mustered a 43-42 edge on the glass by nights end.
A total team effort, Quinnipiac had contributions from all over. Justin Harris (Paterson, N.J.) finished with six points and nine rebounds, Kasim Chandler (Newark, N.J.) had four points, and Alain Chigha (Gainesville, Fla.) and James Ford (Hopewell, Va.) each had three. Ford and Chigha sparked the Bobcats in the first half to keep the game within single-digits before the halftime whistle.
Defensively, Quinnipiac held Albany to 40.0 percent shooting, 38.5 in the second half. Hooley led the Great Danes with 17 points and three threes. Ray Sanders was also in double-digits with 10. After its four-point season-opening loss to Providence, Albany dropped to 1-2 with the result.
Quinnipiac is back in action on Tuesday, Nov. 22 against Hartford. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at the TD Bank Sports Center.
Fans interested in purchasing tickets for the 2014-15 campaign can call the QU Ticket Office at 203-582-3905, visit the official website of Quinnipiac athletics, www.QuinnipiacBobcats.com or make a trip to the TD Bank Sports Center Ticket Office.
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