Quinnipiac University
Vermont
QU Men's Basketball Tops Vermont, 89-73; Ousmane Drame Scores 1,000th Career Point
11/30/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
HAMDEN, Conn. – Ousmane Drame (Boston, Mass.) scored his 1,000th career point and the Quinnipiac men's basketball team returned to its winning ways on York Hill Campus Sunday, as the Bobcats defeated Vermont, 89-73, at the TD Bank Sports Center.
Quinnipiac improved to 20-5 in its last 25 home games, climbing back over the .500 mark to 3-2 on the season. It was Quinnipiac's third win over Vermont, winning three of the last four in the series.
Needing 33 points to reach 1,000, Drame did just that while adding 13 rebounds and three blocks. He went 10-for-14 from the field and 13-for-16 from the free-throw line to become the 38th player to accomplish the feat. Drame (149) also became Quinnipiac's all-time leader in blocked shots, surpassing Glenn Phillip's 22-year record of 146.
Evan Conti (Bayside, N.Y.) broke out for the Bobcats as well, scoring 17 of his career-high 22 in the first half. He added seven rebounds and four assists in arguably his best all-around game while at Quinnipiac. He went 7-for-11 from the field and hit 4-of-5 from long range.
Quinnipiac brought the crowd to its feet with a 26-7 run midway through the first half to open its largest lead of the game, 35-13. Conti caught fire scoring 15 of the 26 points, including seven straight at one point. The Bobcats led at the break, 43-24.
Vermont chipped into its deficit with a 9-2 run to open the second half, but never crept inside of double digits. Quinnipiac withstood the full court press, made its free-throws and cruised to comfortable victory. Quinnipiac, the league's top free-throw shooting team, went 28-for-42 from the stripe including 21-for-23 in the second half.
Team-captain Zaid Hearst (Bethesda, Md.) finished in double-figures with 11 points and three assists. Justin Harris (Paterson, N.J.) had eight points and five rebounds and Alain Chigha (Gainesville, Fla.) notched a career-best seven points, three rebounds and two assists.
Defensively, Quinnipiac held Vermont to 33.3 percent from the field and went 0-for-5 from long range in the first half. Kasim Chandler (Newark, N.J.) was the catalyst behind the ball, forcing several turnovers on the full-court man-to-man press. Offensively, he chipped in six points and matched a career-high with eight assists.
As expected, Quinnipiac was a force on the glass which played a large role in the outcome. QU controlled a 40-16 edge on the backboards, corralling 17 on the offensive end. They converted those 17 rebounds into 24 second chance points.
For Drame, the numbers continue to mount for the 6-foot-9 forward. He became the 11th Division I player to reach 1,000 points, needing 172 rebounds to become Quinnipiac's third player in the last five years to hit 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
Vermont, a perennial power in the America East, was led by four players in double-figures. Hector Harold and Ryan Pierson tallied 14 apiece with Cam Ward and Trae Bell-Haynes adding 12 and 10, respectively.
Up next, Quinnipiac opens MAAC competition Friday, Dec. 5 at Siena College. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at The Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y.
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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