Quinnipiac University
Monmouth
QU Men's Basketball Tops Monmouth in Thriller, 68-64
1/9/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Two premier players in the MAAC came through in a big way on Friday night, helping the Quinnipiac men's basketball team knock off the last of the unbeaten in the MAAC.
Seniors Zaid Hearst (Bethesda, Md.) and Ousmane Drame (Boston, Mass.) each had a double-double, and the Bobcats defeated Monmouth University, 68-64, before a raucous crowd of 1,512 in West Long Branch, N.J. Quinnipiac earned its ninth straight win over Monmouth and picked up their first conference win of the season.
The game featured 14 lead changes and neither team led by more than six points. However, Quinnipiac's senior class was the difference, in particular three plays late in the game. Evan Conti (Bayside, N.Y.) gave Quinnipiac its final lead with a deep three, Hearst buried a second three after that, and Drame secured the victory with a pair of free-throws in the waning seconds.
In perhaps the best all-around performance of his career, Hearst finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds. He had 20 in the second half alone, and hit five threes which was one off his career high. Furthermore, Hearst moved higher among Quinnipiac's career scoring leaders, surpassing James Feldeine and Kason Mims on the list. Hearst has 1,344 career points and stands alone in sixth place among QU DI players.
Trailing 60-58 as the clock ticked under three minutes, Conti silenced the crowd with a deep three from the wing to put Quinnipiac in front, 61-60. After back-to-back defensive stands, Quinnipiac had possession and looked to its team captain to make a play. He delivered in style, freeing himself up from MU's Justin Robinson to drain a three from the right wing to give the Bobcats a 64-60 advantage with 40 seconds remaining.
Quinnipiac stymied Monmouth again, and junior James Ford, Jr. (Hopewell, Va.) calmly hit two free-throws to make it a six point game. Things got interesting after Collin Stewart rattled in a three, and Max DiLeo drew a foul in the act of shooting a three-pointer with five seconds left. DiLeo missed the first, made the second, and committed a lane violation on the third attempt to give Quinnipiac the ball. Drame put the game out of reach with two free-throws at the other end.
A total team effort, 10 Bobcats played and 10 Bobcats contributed. Drame corralled his 33rd career double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. He was 5-of-8 from the floor and made all seven of his attempts from the charity stripe.
Conti added six points; Kasim Chandler (Newark, N.J.), Justin Harris (Paterson, N.J.) and Ford each had four; and Ayron Hutton (Virginia Beach, Va.) and Chaise Daniels (Meriden, Conn.) had three. Chandler dished out a team-best five assists.
Quinnipiac held Monmouth to 40.3 percent shooting, and connected on 47.1 percent of their field goal attempts. That included going 8-for-21 from long range. Entering the game as the nation's fifth-best free-throw shooting team, Quinnipiac sank 12-of-15 from the line.
Monmouth, now 7-8 on the season and 4-1 in league play, was led by Robinson and Andrew Nicholas. Robinson had 15 points and six assists while Nicholas finished with 13 points. Stuart added 12. The Hawks head to Rider on Monday night for their next game.
Quinnipiac concludes a stretch of three games in five days on Sunday when the team hosts Marist College. Tip-off from the TD Bank Sports Center is set for 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.
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.
