What to Watch For: Rivalry renewed

What to Watch For: Rivalry renewed

By Matthias Gausz, QBSN Co-Director

The Bobcats men’s basketball team (8-7, 1-3 NEC) heads to Moon Township, Pa. to face the Robert Morris University Colonials (12-5, 3-1 NEC) at the Charles L. Sewall Center on Thursday, Jan. 12 at 7:00 p.m.

Quinnipiac had a tough week, as they dropped two NEC games, at St. Francis (N.Y.) and Long Island at home. The Bobcats were very competitive in both games and found themselves with leads late in both. They just weren’t able to control down the stretch and make the shots they needed to. Senior guard James Johnson (Queens, N.Y.) stood out for QU with 43 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists on the week, while sophomore forward Ike Azotam (Boston, Mass.) added 29points and 18 rebounds in the two games.

The Bobcats were able to make shots, but in the second half, they just couldn’t finish.  They came back from a 13-point deficit against LIU, but the Blackbirds were just too powerful in the waning minutes. They have been able to score so far this year, but the defense has fallen off lately and allowed too many open shots. St. Francis (N.Y.) was able to capitalize last Thursday on open three pointers down the stretch, and LIU ran up and down for 40 minutes. Quinnipiac needs to find a way to neutralize that.

Robert Morris comes in off a tough loss last week to Central Connecticut after the drubbing they put on Bryant on Thursday night. They are led by junior point guard Velton Jones.  He’s averaging 15.2 points per game and just under four assists per game.  Recently, Robert Morris has been Quinnipiac’s kryptonite and ousted them out of the NEC tournament each of the past three seasons.

Robert Morris has a lot of young talent with some good leadership in Jones and Russell Johnson. They are playing without Karon Abraham, as he was suspended for the season due to a violation of AD policy after his two alcohol related arrests. As a result, they have found their scoring in other places.  They are very versatile, having seven players averaging at least five points per game.

Key for the Bobcats:

Quinnipiac needs to play like it has been playing but make sure it plays a full 40 minutes. With James Johnson and Azotam leading the way, they have been able to get other scoring options open and have done well, especially Ousmane Drame (Boston, Mass.). Drame has played exceptionally well, filling in for Jamee Jackson (Newark, N.J.) as another big body up front. If Quinnipiac can play their game and defend down the stretch, they should grab another NEC victory.

Key for the Colonials:

The Colonials need to spread the wealth and have their scoring come from different players. They have played great as of late because they’ve become multi-dimensional and not just carried by Jones and Russell Johnson. Their bench play and defense will have to be up to par like in years past in order to play their grind-it-out style. If the Robert Morris can do all of the above, they will grab their fourth NEC win in five games.  

Last Meeting: March 6, 2011 in Hamden. Quinnipiac lost 64-62, in the NEC Semifinals. Velton Jones hit a fade away jumper with six seconds to go to vault the Colonials to the NEC Championship game. Three Bobcats were in double figures, and Justin Rutty led the team with ten rebounds. They will meet again on Feb. 25 in Hamden.