Quinnipiac University
Oregon St.
Zaid Hearst and Evan Conti Lead QU Men's Basketball To 60-52 Win over Pac-12 Foe Oregon State
12/21/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
HAMDEN, Conn. – "College basketball, where the unexpected becomes the ordinary," says CBS Sports Network analyst Jon Rothstein.
That trend continued on Sunday afternoon when the Quinnipiac men's basketball team (5-5) defeated Pac-12 foe Oregon State, 60-52, in front of a healthy crowd at the TD Bank Sports Center in Hamden. It was the first time Quinnipiac has ever hosted and defeated a high major program.
Seniors Zaid Hearst (Bethesda, Md.) and Evan Conti (Bayside, N.Y.) combined for more than half of the Bobcats' points, and Quinnipiac's defense stymied Gary Payton II and Oregon State's offense to improve to 5-5 on the season.
Hearst finished with a game-high 24 points on 5-of-10 shooting and Conti added 14 which included three key shots from long range. Six others found the scoring column for Quinnipiac.
Hearst's 24 points were huge, but it may have been his defense that won the game for Quinnipiac. Hearst held Payton II, the team's leading scorer and the son of nine-time NBA All-Star Gary Payton, scoreless as he went 0-for-3 from the field. Payton II got into foul trouble in the first half and Hearst was glued to the junior guard in the second half. He eventually fouled out with 3:25 left in regulation.
Oregon State jumped out to a 17-9 lead behind five threes in the first eight minutes play. Quinnipiac followed with a 9-0 run to regain the lead and never trailed again. Hearst netted a first-half season-high 20 points leading Quinnipiac to a 32-26 lead at the break. The Bobcats outscored the Beavers, 14-9, over the final 7:23 of the first half.
Conti stole the show in the second half, scoring nine of his 14 in the latter stanza. His nine came on two loud threes, a circus shot in the paint and a free-throw late in the second half. He added six rebounds and two assists in the game.
Quinnipiac's lead fluctuated from 4-9 points for most of the second half until Oregon State cut the deficit to just three points with 2:44 left. In perhaps the biggest shot of the game, Ousmane Drame (Boston, Mass.) knocked down a jumper from the right wing and Quinnipiac made enough free-throws to sustain the two-possession lead until the final whistle. Hearst iced the game with a pair of free-throws with 17 seconds left. He was 11-for-11 for the game.
The length and athleticism of Oregon State irritated Quinnipiac, holding the Bobcats to just 34.5 percent shooting. However, Quinnipiac's front court controlled the glass (46-27) which limited second chance opportunities for OSU. A total team effort, 10 different players had at least one rebound for Quinnipiac with nine having at least three.
Drame finished with six points, seven rebounds and five blocks while Justin Harris (Paterson, N.J.) had four points and four rebounds to lead QU's front court. Alain Chigha (Gainesville, Fla.) chipped in three points and three rebounds while Chaise Daniels (Meriden, Conn.) finished with four points and three rebounds.
At the point guard position, Kasim Chandler (Newark, N.J.) and Ayron Hutton (Virginia Beach, Va.) combined for eight assists and eight rebounds. Hutton added a bucket as well. James Ford, Jr. (Hopewell, Va.) added a key three-pointer in the second half while giving great defensive minutes as well.
Oregon State, who fell to 8-3 under first-year head coach Wayne Tinkle, was led by Olaf Schaftenaar who finished with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting. He had four threes. Malcolm Duvivier added 10 points and four assists. OSU shot just 39.6 percent from the floor.
Quinnipiac enjoys some time off for the holiday before returning to the TD Bank Sports Center on Monday, Dec. 29 against Maine. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
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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