The Quinnipiac Bobcats (13-10, 7-7 MAAC) blew out the Niagara Purple Eagles (4-19, 3-11 MAAC) 91-69 behind senior Evan Conti’s second half explosion.
The Bobcats shared the ball all game, totaling 28 assists, they most they’ve had in a game since 2004.
“I was excited,” Bobcats Head Coach Tom Moore said. “The ball was going in and we were playing really good defense.”
The Bobcats opened the game on a 10-0 run, hitting their first four shots from the field. Senior captain Zaid Hearst then nailed a three to put the Bobcats up 13-2. With the basket, Hearst surpassed 1500 career points.
Leading 28-15 with 5:44 remaining, Hearst was called for a charge. His second foul put him on the bench for the remainder of the half.
With their leading scorer on the bench, the Bobcats relied on hustle points by seniors Ousmane Drame and Justin Harris to keep them on top. Drame and Harris went to work down low, grabbing offensive rebounds and scoring in the post.
However with 2:01 remaining in the half, Niagara’s Emile Blackman barreled down the lane into Drame, who was helped off the court after the collision. He returned, but was used sparingly in the second half.
As the halftime buzzer sounded, the Bobcats were on top 36-19. Harris led the Bobcats at the half with nine points and four rebounds. Drame had six points and four rebounds while Hearst had seven on 3-8 shooting.
The Bobcats continued to run their offensive game through the post with Harris and Drame, however the Purple Eagles were able to spur their own 10-2 run behind Emile Blackman. Blackman finished with a game-high, 32 points for Niagara.
This run ended when the Purple Eagles turned the ball over and junior James Ford Jr. nailed a three on the other end.
After Ford’s three, the Bobcats caught fire, exploding for 25-3 run to go up 68-33. During the run, Conti caught fire from three. Conti finished the game with a team high, 21 points on 5-7 from three.
“There were a lot of open opportunities,” Conti said. “I just wanted to capitalize. I knocked them down today.”
In a span of five minutes, the Bobcats extended their lead to 70-36 with 10:06 to go in the game.
Trailing 72-38 with under eight minutes to go, the Purple Eagles stepped up their defensive pressure and heated up from the field to go on another big run where Blackman scored nine consecutive points.
The run was too little, too late for the Purple Eagles. At the final buzzer, the Bobcats were on top, 91-69. As a team, the Bobcats shot 54.4% after they exploded for 63% in the second half.
“The defensive stops and the sharing of the ball,” Moore said.” “Those are the things that are most contagious to a basketball team. We got stops, run-outs, and really shared it.”
With the win, the Bobcats advance to 13-10 and 7-7 in MAAC play. They also avenge a 105-100 overtime loss to Niagara last Sunday. The Bobcats travel to Fairfield on Feb. 13 as the regular season winds down postseason hopes intensify.
