QU Men's Basketball Storms Past Niagara For 82-68 Win

Saturday, January 30

Hamden, CT

2:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

6-13, 3-7MAAC

Niagara University

6-17, 4-8MAAC

Niagara University

Quinnipiac

QU Men's Basketball Storms Past Niagara For 82-68 Win

1/30/2016 4:27:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: QU Sports Information

HAMDEN, Conn. - The Quinnipiac men's basketball team finished the first half on a 12-0 run to take a 38-30 lead into the break, built its lead up to as many as 17, and fought off a second-half Niagara rally to earn an 82-68 win over the Purple Eagles on Saturday afternoon at the TD Bank Sports Center.

With the win, the Bobcats move their record to 6-13 overall and 3-7 in the MAAC, while also improving to 7-2 all-time in the series with the Purple Eagles. Niagara falls to 6-17 overall and 4-8 in the MAAC with the loss.

Junior guard Daniel Harris (Tampa, Fla. - pictured) scored 18 points, all on 6-9 shooting from three-point territory, while also adding eight assists and no turnovers. His efforts helped the Bobcats shoot 12-17 from three-point territory as a team (70.6 percent) and compile 19 assists to only five turnovers collectively. The six three-pointers and eight assists were both high totals for any Quinnipiac player this season. Senior guard Giovanni McLean (Bronx, N.Y.) added 19 points on 6-9 shooting from the floor (3-3 on threes), while sophomore forward Chaise Daniels (Meriden, Conn.) and junior forward Donovan Smith (Chicago, Ill.) were both in double figures as well, with 12 and 11, respectively.

Quinnipiac swung the game in the closing minutes of the first half after trailing by as many as nine points earlier on at 22-13. A Daniels jump hook tied the score at 26-26 with 5:27 left in the half, before Niagara answered with a three-pointer from Karonn Davis. With the Purple Eagles up 30-26 with less then three minutes left, the Bobcats scored on their final five possessions to close out the half on a 12-0 run. Smith started it with a jump hook in the paint, and McLean tied it with a tough off-balance jumper as the shot clock expired at the 1:58 mark. Sophomore guard Ayron Hutton (Virginia Beach, Va.) then knocked down a three-pointer and fed Harris for a three-pointer on the next possession, and McLean finished off the half with a running jumper to make the score 38-30 at the break.

After Niagara closed within four early in the second half (39-35), Quinnipiac went on a 15-2 run, capped off by three straight three-pointers (two from Harris, one from McLean) to take its largest lead of the game at 54-37 with 14:17 left. After an exchange of baskets, though, Niagara came storming back with a 13-0 run to pull within 56-52 with 8:58 left on two foul shots from Matt Scott.

Quinnipiac answered the challenge, though, as Smith hit a key jumper to stop the bleeding, and Hutton followed soon after with a big three-pointer after hustling down an offensive rebound to push the lead back to 10 at 62-52 with 7:07 left. Niagara was unable to get closer than 10 the rest of the way, as McLean hit the final dagger with a three-pointer off an inbounds pass with four seconds on the shot clock and 1:46 on the game clock, pushing the lead to 13.

The 82 points marked the highest total for Quinnipiac in a regulation game this season as the Bobcats shot 50 percent in the second half (13-26) to shake off their recent offensive struggles, which had seen them score between 50 and 55 points in each of their last four games. Matt Scott led all scorers for Niagara with 22 points, while Marvin Prochet had 13.

About the only negative for the Bobcats was in the rebounding department, where they came up short 38-36. It marks only the sixth time in the last four years that Quinnipiac has been outrebounded (four of which have come this season). The Bobcats had 13 offensive rebounds, after coming into the game leading the nation in that department with 18.1 per game.

Quinnipiac is back in action on Monday for a road trip when it travels to take on Fairfield for a 7 p.m. tip off in Bridgeport.