Friday, December 2, 2011

Pioneers defeat Bobcat in first NEC game of season


Quinnipiac falls in first NEC game of season
By Mark Spillane, QBSN Staff Writer

The Quinnipiac Bobcats (2-4) fell to the Sacred Heart Pioneers (5-3) by the score of 68-55 in the 60th meeting between the two teams and the first conference contest for each team this season. The Pioneers increased their all time series lead to 38-22 Thursday night at the TD Bank Sports Center in Hamden.

The teams played evenly early on, as both defenses stifled their opposition. Sacred Heart led 8-7 after five minutes, but then the Pioneers used several Bobcat turnovers and solid 3-point shooting to build a 23-17 lead.

The Bobcats offense then went dormant, as they failed to score for over four and a half minutes late in the first half. Quinnipiac was unable to keep up with the Pioneers as junior Shane Gibson fueled the Sacred Heart attack with 13 first half points. Powered by Gibson, the Pioneers built a 10 point lead (34-24) heading into the half.

The Bobcats came out strong in the second half with an 8-2 run, as they cut the lead to four (36- 32) behind the strong play of senior James Johnson (Queens, N.Y.)

However, the Pioneers responded with a 12-4 run of their own over the next several minutes to re-establish a double digit lead. The two teams then traded baskets for several possessions, and with 9:56 to play, the Pioneers led 50-40.

Sacred Heart appeared to be in control, holding an eight point lead with 6:13 to go, before a pair of Ike Azotam (Boston, Mass.) free-throws cut the Pioneer lead back down to six.

Unfortunately for the Bobcats, that’s the closest they would ever come to leading, as Sacred Heart used superb ball movement within the last four minutes to beat the full court press. The Pioneers pulled away for good, expanding the lead to as much as 15 before the game ended with the final score 68-55.

The Bobcats struggled with their free throws, shooting just 54 percent from the line, while Sacred Heart shot 69 percent. The Pioneers also shot well from long range, as they drained six of 15 from beyond the arc, while the Bobcats hit just four of their 15 attempts.

The absence of James Johnson for much of the first half due to foul trouble may have contributed to the Bobcats’ shooting woes, as he played just 10 minutes and scored only three points. He did, however, tally 12 second half points to fuel the Bobcats’ near comeback.

Gibson led the Pioneers with 21 points by hitting on seven of his 12 shots from the field. Three of his seven makes were from three point range, while he also made all four of his free-throw attempts.

While most of the Bobcats were quiet in this game, Azotam stood out as one of the lone Bobcat highlights of the game. He posted a double-double by scoring 17 points and grabbing 16 boards. Despite his strong play, Azotam and the other Bobcat big men failed to convert on several put back attempts in the paint, costing themselves countless points throughout the game.

Both teams have their second conference games this Saturday, as Sacred Heart will look to carry the momentum of this victory into their next tilt against Central Connecticut State. Quinnipiac, however, must rebound quickly, because Bryant comes to town this Saturday at 3 p.m. The Bulldogs will come out hungry and desperate as they are looking to snap a five game losing skid and earn their first road victory of the year.

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