Big Second Half Leads QU Men's Basketball To Road Win Over Maine

Sunday, December 18

Portland, ME (Cross Insurance Arena)

1:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

4-6

University of Maine

4-7

Quinnpiac

Maine

Big Second Half Leads QU Men's Basketball To Road Win Over Maine

12/18/2016 3:46:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: QU Sports Information

PORTLAND, Maine – The Quinnipiac men's basketball team shook off a cold-shooting first half to score 57 points in the second half and take an 85-75 road win over Maine on Sunday afternoon at the Cross Insurance Arena.

Chaise Daniels (Meriden, Conn.) had 17 points and Mikey Dixon (New Castle, Del.) had 14 of his 16 in the second half for the Bobcats, who improve to 4-6 on the season with the win, including 4-2 since an 0-4 start. Maine falls to 4-7 on the year with the loss. Sophomore forward Abdulai Bundu (Upper Marlboro, Md.) had 12 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the year, after tallying 23 points and 15 rebounds last year at Maine.

The Bobcats trailed by eight points at the half (36-28), but came out of the locker room on fire and quickly pulled even in just 2:30 at 40-40 on a Daniels basket at the 17:30 mark. Bundu followed with a basket to give Quinnipiac its first lead at 42-40, and after the score was tied 45-45, the Bobcats went on a 10-2 run, capped off by a Dixon three-pointer, to take a 55-47 lead.

Maine closed back to within 61-59 with 8:40 to go on a three-pointer from Ilker Er, but the Bobcats scored the next seven points, capped off by another three-pointer from Dixon, to pull ahead 68-59. A three-pointer from freshman guard Peter Kiss (New York, N.Y.) pushed the lead to 11 at 76-65 with 3:30 to go, and after Maine crept back within six at 78-72, Kiss beat the shot clock with 1:50 to play with a 15-foot jumper to make the score 80-72 and the Bobcats weren't threatened again.

Quinnipiac came out shooting cold, falling behind 15-5 eight minutes into the game. Gradually, the Bobcats warmed up and pulled within a single point at 23-22 on a tip in from senior forward Donovan Smith (Chicago, Ill.). Maine scored the next six points, though, to restore a 29-22 lead and took a 36-28 lead into halftime when Andrew Fleming scored down low on a putback with five seconds left.

Daniels shot 8-10 from the floor for his 17 points, while also grabbing nine rebounds. Bundu had seven points and seven rebounds (five offensive) in the first half to help keep Quinnipiac in it during its cold spell. The Bobcats shot 18-30 in the second half (60 percent) after only 11-32 in the first half (34.4 percent), and had nine assists after halftime after only one in the first half.

Quinnipiac is back in action on Wednesday for its final home game of the 2016 calendar year, when it hosts Drexel at 7 p.m. at the TD Bank Sports Center.