Quinnipiac University
Saint Peter''s
QU Men's Basketball Picks Up Road Win at Saint Peter's, 63-55
1/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Quinnipiac claimed its 10th win of the season on Wednesday night, as the Bobcats accomplished the impressive feat of winning a conference game on the road.
Zaid Hearst (Bethesda, Md.) had 23 points, Ousmane Drame (Boston, Mass.) registered another double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Quinnipiac put together a strong second half to defeat Saint Peter's University, 63-55, at the Yanitelli Center in Jersey City.
The win, Quinnipiac's fourth in its last five games, puts the Bobcats at 10-8 for the year and 4-5 in league play. It also pushed Quinnipiac past Saint Peter's (9-11, 3-6 MAAC) in the league standings, preventing the Peacocks from having the head-to-head advantage come playoff time.
Quinnipiac trailed for most of the first half and into the second, but received a large boost offensively from its senior class in the waning minutes. Down by one, 42-41, with 7:13 remaining, Quinnipiac rattled off a 6-0 run – sparked by four points from Justin Harris (Paterson, N.J.) and a bucket from Drame.
The teams exchanged baskets over the next two series before Hearst delivered the big blow with 90 seconds left. Hearst let the shot clock wind down, drove to his right, stopped, and nailed a step-back jumper from 17 feet to put Quinnipiac up by seven. The Bobcats held off Saint Peter's pressure and made enough free-throws to secure the victory.
Hearst was the best player on the floor, going 8-for-13 and making 6-of-8 from the charity stripe. He added five rebounds and two assists in 39 minutes of action with 17 of his points coming in the second half. Hearst needed three points, which he got in the first half, to become the 16th player at Quinnipiac to record 1,400 career points.
Drame continued his dominance in the post with his 37th career double-double. Drame presented a daunting matchup for SPU's front court, evidenced by 11 free-throw attempts in the game. He went 9-of-11 from the stripe and blocked three shots.
The X-factor was the senior out of Paterson, N.J. – Justin Harris – who finished with nine points and nine rebounds. Harris had seven in the second frame, corralling three offensive rebounds to aid Quinnipiac's dominating figure of 19 second chance points. The Bobcats controlled the boards, 43-30, collecting 13 on offense.
Four others appeared in the scoring column for Quinnipiac; Evan Conti (Bayside, N.Y.) with six, Ayron Hutton (Virginia Beach, Va.) with four, and Dimitri Floras (Nashua, N.H.) and Samuel Dingba (Yaoundé, Cameroon) each with three. Conti added six rebounds and an assist.
Hard work on the offensive end kept Quinnipiac close in the first half. Despite shooting 32.1 percent from the floor, the Bobcats snagged seven offensive rebounds and converted those into nine second chance points. Conti and Hearst each had six points in the frame.
Saint Peter's was led by Marvin Dominique and Desi Washington with 13 and 12 points, respectively. They combined to go 12-of-30 from the field with three turnovers.
Quinnipiac is back in action with its first nationally televised broadcast on Friday night when the Bobcats host defending MAAC Champion Manhattan College at the TD Bank Sports Center. Courtesy of the MAAC, the game has been picked up by ESPN and the tristate foes will air live on ESPNU at 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.
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.
