The Quinnipiac Bobcats men’s basketball team (15-13, 9-10 MAAC) defeated the Siena Saints (10-18, 9-10 MAAC) by a final score of 73-63 in the Bobcats final home game of the season. In the final home game for the six seniors on the roster, the team looked to erase a three game losing streak and get back on track before the MAAC Tournament begins next Thursday.
The seniors left Lender Court to a standing ovation when head coach Tom Moore took them out with just over a minute to play.
“It was great. We all remember when we were freshmen walking our first footsteps on this campus,” senior captain Zaid Hearst said. “For that to be our last game and our last time suiting up in this arena it definitely hit us.”
The Bobcats were led in this game by who else, but their seniors. Hearst tallied 20 points for the first time in seven games. In addition to the 20 by Hearst fellow seniors Evan Conti and Justin Harris contributed 18 and 15 points respectively. This game was all about the seniors as Ousmane Drame recorded his nation leading 19th double-double on the year with 11 points and 16 rebounds.
The Saints got in foul trouble early in this one and were never able to regain their defensive composure. The Bobcats used an 18-0 run to pull away and never looked back. The Saints picked up 16 fouls in the first half, leading to the Bobcats going 18-for-21 from the free throw line in the first half. The first half ended with the Bobcats leading 37-20, led by 12 points and seven rebounds by Harris.
The Saints came out of the second half with more urgency and were able to cut the Bobcats’ lead to 12, but that is as close as the game would get. The Bobcats came back with a run of their own, sparked by a four point play by Conti. Conti finished the game hitting four three-pointers.
As a team the Bobcats dominated on the boards, collecting 56 rebounds including 22 offensive boards that resulted in 18 second chance points. The Bobcats were able to generate second chance opportunities all night, allowing them to extend their lead to as many as 23 points.
The Bobcats also played tenacious defense against the Saints holding the Saints to 33-percent shooting from the floor. Bobcat defenders also tallied an impressive 11 blocks on the night.
“I thought we played borderline terrific defense,” Moore said.
A lone bright spot for the Saints came at the hands of Evan Hymes who scored 20 points in the losing effort.
Down the stretch foul trouble got the best of the Saints and the Bobcats made them pay. The Bobcats sank 27 free throws on 31 attempts from 26 Saints’ fouls. Saints’ star Rob Poole fell victim to all the fouls, fouling out after just 19 minutes.
The two teams were vying for the sixth seed in the MAAC tournament, and with the win along with a Saint Peter’s loss, Quinnipiac clinched the six seed in the postseason tournament.
Quinnipiac will end the regular season on the road when it travels to play Manhattan on Sunday. The team will then head to the Times Union Center in Albany to participate in the 2015 MAAC tournament with its first round game coming on Thursday March 5.
