Quinnipiac University
Marist
Hearst, Drame Lead QU Men's Basketball Past Marist, 72-71
1/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – Senior Zaid Hearst (Bethesda, Md.) put Quinnipiac up for good with a jumper from the elbow with 17 seconds left, and Quinnipiac claimed a 72-71 victory over Marist at McCann Field House Sunday afternoon in Poughkeepsie.
Trailing 59-53 with 7:45 remaining, Quinnipiac mounted a 9-2 run which was capped off by an Ousmane Drame (Boston, Mass.) jumper from the wing to give the Bobcats their first lead of the game. Quinnipiac never trailed from that point going forward, although things got very interesting down the stretch.
Marist knotted the score at 68 when TJ Curry drained a deep three from the wing. Hearst put Quinnipiac back in front with a pair of free-throws but after a pair of empty possessions, Khalid Hart tied the game with a layup as the clock ticked under 90 seconds.
Quinnipiac leaned on its senior guard in the waning seconds, as Hearst knocked down a jumper from the free-throw line to put the Bobcats up for good, 72-70. Marist made it interesting when the whistle blew for a foul with 0.1 seconds remaining to earn a pair of free-throws. Eric Truog missed the first and made the second to finalize the 72-71 decision.
Hearst finished with 27 points, going 10-of-22 from the floor and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line, while grabbing three rebounds. Fellow classmate Ousmane Drame was just as impressive with 21 points and 13 rebounds. He went 8-for-11 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line.
A total team effort, Quinnipiac got contributions from all over and none bigger than Samuel Dingba (Yaoundé, Cameroon). Dingba finished with career highs in points (3) and rebounds (10), including two big free-throws down the stretch.
Ayron Hutton (Virginia Beach, Va.) had six points despite early foul trouble, Justin Harris (Paterson, N.J.) and Chaise Daniels (Meriden, Conn.) each added four, Evan Conti (Bayside, N.Y.) had three and Dimitri Floras (Nashua, N.H.) two.
Quinnipiac dominated the glass, 44-24, and had 18 second chance points. The Bobcats continued to shine from the charity stripe too, going 17-for-21 from the line.
Quinnipiac shot just 34 percent from the field in the first half, but sank 9-of-13 from the line to keep pace. Hearst had 12 in the first, helping to nullify Khalid Hart's 11. Marist hit 44 percent from the floor in the first – including four from long range.
A week ago, Quinnipiac defeated Marist handily with a 66-54 victory on its home court. Drame and Hutton led the Bobcats with 15 points apiece.
Marist, now 1-17 overall and 0-8 in league play, was led by Chavaughn Lewis with 20 points and Khalid Hart with 19.
Quinnipiac returns to action on Wednesday, Jan. 21 when they hit the road to play Saint Peter's University. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at the Yanitelli Center in Jersey City, N.J.
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.
Quinnipiac's 'Go For 3' package is still available throughout the remainder of the 2014-15 season. The package allows fans to purchase three men's basketball tickets at a special discounted rate. The 'Go For 3' bundle is $30 for adults and $12 for children and senior citizens.
Student-athletes, parents and fans can download the QU Athletics schedules to your laptop and mobile devices for free by clicking in the iCalendar link at the bottom of each sport's homepage or the master schedule page. Please follow Quinnipiac Athletics on Facebook and Twitter (@QUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates.
