What to Watch For: Bobcats open up NEC play

What to Watch For: Bobcats open up NEC play

By Matthias Gausz, QBSN Co-Director

The Bobcats men’s basketball team (2-3) hosts the visiting Pioneers of Sacred Heart University (4-3) at the TD Bank Sports Center on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 7:00 p.m.

Courtesy: quinnipiacbobcats.com

The Bobcats’ last game was Monday night at Lehigh where they had a tough loss, falling 86-75. James Johnson (Queens, N.Y.) led the way with 25 points and chipped in three rebounds and three assists. For the second straight game, Quinnipiac found itself in foul trouble, as Jamee Jackson (Newark, N.J.) fouled out after only twelve minutes of play. After a hot start, Ike Azotam (Boston, Mass.) played only six minutes and picked up three fouls.

For the first time since their game at Central Connecticut State last February, the Bobcats were outrebounded, 30-27. Freshman forward Ousmane Drame (Boston, Mass.) came out with twelve points and seven rebounds, off the bench, in Azotam’s absence.  QU shot 44.6 percent from the field, but the fouls led to Lehigh making 28 points from line.

C.J. McCollum paced Lehigh with 23 points, 15 of them from the line, four rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Again, QU was able to slow down the leading scorer for the opposing team, as McCollum shot 4-13 from the floor. The woes at the free-throw line continue for Quinnipiac going 20-31 (64.5 percent).

Sacred Heart comes in winning two of three over Hampton and Brown. Their losses are road tests at Rutgers and Richmond, and a two-point neutral-court loss to Lipscomb. They are led by junior guard Shane Gibson who is averaging 16 points, four assists, and two assists per game. The main go-to for the Pioneers is the lone real scoring threat, as they have a very young team.

Key for the Bobcats:

For QU, they must be able to stay out of foul trouble and limit Gibson. James Johnson has definitely asserted himself as the pure shooter for the Bobcats. The big men up front must also play better, especially Jackson in his junior year. Garvey Young (Washington, D.C.) has played well in his first couple games for QU; he must continue to throw in his eight to ten points. Finally, they need to reestablish their superiority on the boards.

Key for the Pioneers:

For Sacred Heart, they need some scoring help from Swidowski, Kelley and Glowiak. They are a young and they have definitely been tested, but the first conference game throws a loop on everything. They have been able to get up and down and score in transition, which will help in the matchup. Finally, harassing QU and causing them to foul should create opportunities at the line and give them a chance.  

Last Meeting: February 14, 2011 at Sacred Heart, Quinnipiac won 55-48. Justin Rutty had 13 points and seven rebounds, and two other Bobcats were in double figures. Louis Montes had a breakout game with twelve points and 14 rebounds. Sacred Heart leads the all-time series 37-23, but Quinnipiac has swept them the last two seasons.