Quinnipiac University
Siena
Senior Class Propels QU Men's Basketball to win over Siena College in Home Finale, 73-63
2/27/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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- Season Stats
- Quinnipiac vs. Siena - Game Replay
- MAAC Men's Basketball Standings
- Photos of QU vs. Siena
HAMDEN, Conn. – As they entered the postgame press conference, it was all smiles for the senior class of the Quinnipiac men's basketball team after a 73-63 win over Siena College on Friday night.
Their final home game at the TD Bank Sports Center was indicative of Quinnipiac basketball, powering past the Saints to claim the sixth seed in the upcoming MAAC Tournament. Quinnipiac dominated the backboards, made its free-throws and held the league's second best scoring offense well below their season average.
A week ago, the Bobcats left the arena in disbelief after a rare home loss in February to Canisius. More than ever was the senior class determined to right the ship, evidenced by a sensational performance by their core four.
Zaid Hearst (Bethesda, Md.) scored 20 points for the 12th time this year; Ousmane Drame (Boston, Mass.) compiled his nation-leading 19th double-double with 11 points and 16 rebounds; Evan Conti (Bayside, N.Y.) had 18 points, hitting 4-of-9 from long range; and Justin Harris (Paterson, N.J.) tossed in 15 points to go along with nine rebounds and a career high five blocks.
Quinnipiac did most of its damage in the first half with an 18-0 run while holding Siena scoreless over a span of 6:42 around the midway point. The Bobcats capitalized on 16 first half fouls by the visitors, going 18-for-21 from the charity stripe. Quinnipiac led 37-20 at the break, spearheaded by Harris with 12 points and seven rebounds.
After halftime, Siena pulled within 12 points after back-to-back buckets from Javion Ogunyemi and Marquis Wright at the 16:55 mark; but Quinnipiac answered with a 12-4 run to open a 20 point lead. The Bobcats advantage was never in jeopardy moving forward.
Hearst finished with 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting while going 5-of-6 from the free-throw line. He bumped his career total to 1,572 points, sitting 33 points behind Ike Azotam for third place on Quinnipiac's Division I scoring list.
Drame corralled his 43rd career double-double, now one shy of Azotam's program record of 44. He added four blocks to his stat line.
For the game, Quinnipiac overcame just 30.3 percent shooting with a valiant effort on the glass. The Bobcats snagged a 56-46 edge on the glass, hauling in 22 offensive rebounds for 18 second chance points. Their intensity resulted in foul trouble for the Saints, which sent Quinnipiac to the line 31 times. They made 27 of their attempts (87.1 percent).
Defensively, Quinnipiac held Siena to 33.3 percent shooting and just 3-of-12 from long range. Quinnipiac blocked 13 shots in the game which serves as a season high for the Bobcats.
James Ford, Jr. (Hopewell, Va.) also continued his stellar stretch with nine points, six rebounds and a career high six assists.
Siena fell to 7-12 in league play, now fighting for the seventh seed on the tournament. The Saints were led by Evan Hymes who finished with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting. They head to Monmouth for the season finale on Sunday.
For Quinnipiac's senior class, Zaid Hearst, Ousmane Drame, Evan Conti, Justin Harris, T'ziah Wood-Smith (Baldwin, N.Y.) and Emanuel Binyam (Rockville, Md.), they played their final game in Hamden sporting the game-day gold. But, there's a lot of basketball left for this resilient group who has its sights set on an NCAA Tournament bid.
Quinnipiac's season finale takes place on Sunday as well, when the Bobcats travel to Manhattan College. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. at Draddy Gymnasium in Riverdale, N.Y.
The 2014-15 season culminates at the 2015 MAAC Men's Basketball Championships at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York March 5-9. Tickets for the championships are available online at www.ticketmaster.com.
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