Quinnipiac University
Iona
QU Men's Basketball Suffers 81-73 Loss at Iona
1/6/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
HAMDEN, Conn. – Senior Zaid Hearst (Bethesda, Md.) had 27 points and freshman Ayron Hutton (Virginia Beach, Va.) netted a career best 16 but Quinnipiac fell to defending MAAC regular season champion Iona College, 81-73, Tuesday night at the Hynes Athletic Center in New Rochelle.
Quinnipiac got a glimpse of the MAAC's best defense on Friday, and then met the league's top offense on Tuesday night. The nation's fifth ranked offense caught fire midway through the second half and escaped with its 10th win of the season.
In a game that featured four of the MAAC's top five scorers, two of them shined in Hearst and MAAC Preseason Player of the Year David Laury. Hearst surpassed his season average with 27 points and seven rebounds, going 10-of-19 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line. Laury was just as good, posting 30 points and eight rebounds in the win.
Trailing 36-30 at the break, Quinnipiac stayed within striking distance well into the second half. However, a quick 13-0 run – sparked by a pair of Williams' threes – put Iona up 68-50 with 7:52 left. James Ford, Jr. (Hopewell, Va.), Hearst and Hutton used the three-point line to cut into the deficit – but never got to within eight points. Laury went 11-for-11 from the free-throw line in the second half to help secure the victory.
In addition to Hearst, Quinnipiac featured six other players in the scoring summary. Hutton's 16 points came on four threes and two field goals in a season high 31 minutes. He also added a career high eight assists. Ford finished with 10 points. Quinnipiac shot 35.5 percent from the floor as a team.
Chaise Daniels (Meriden, Conn.) and Justin Harris (Paterson, N.J.) each had six points to lead the front court. Ousmane Drame (Boston, Mass.) finished with five points and a team high nine rebounds while Harris added eight. Quinnipiac outrebounded Iona, 45-38, to extend its streak this season (13).
Head coach Tom Moore alluded to Iona's strength as a team in the postgame press conference. "There's Iona, and there's everyone else," said Moore. The Gaels score from multiple spots on the floor and play very well on its home court. Since 2009, Iona is 61-10 at home. Isaiah Williams finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds – which included going 4-of-6 from long range. AJ English, the MAAC's leading scorer, had 13 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Iona, now 10-5 overall and 3-1 in league play, evened the all-time series with Quinnipiac (2-2). They meet again on February 15 in Hamden.
Quinnipiac continues a stretch of three games in five days on Friday night at Monmouth. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at the MAC in West Long Branch, N.J. Two days later, Quinnipiac hosts Marist at the TD Bank Sports Center at 1 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.
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