Dave Johnson nets career-high 19 points in rout of Red Flash
By Kevin Noonan, QBSN Staff Writer
The Quinnipiac Bobcats shot the lights out at the TD Bank Sports Center Thursday Night as they crushed the St. Francis (Pa.) Red Flash, 77-44. With the win, the Bobcats improve to 9-8 in NEC play and 16-12 overall while the Red Flash drop to 5-12 in the NEC and 6-22 overall.
Quinnipiac knocked down its first 12 shots of the second half to extend their 35-20 halftime lead to 62-31.
The Bobcats shot 58.6 percent from the floor compared to 38.3 percent for the Red Flash.
Head coach Tom Moore could not have asked for a better game from his squad.
“I am very happy we were pretty complete in all three phases of the game tonight,” Moore said. “We were a much improved defensive team from the last time we played them.”
Junior Dave Johnson (Jackson, N.J.) led the Bobcats with a career high 19 points, along with five assists and three rebounds. Sophomore Ike Azotam (Boston, Mass.) added 18 points and seven rebounds while freshman Zaid Hearst (Bethesda, Md.) scored 15 while grabbing eight boards.
Four of the five starters scored in double figures for Quinnipiac, the lone exception being senior James Johnson (Queens, N.Y.) who finished the game with five points and eight assists.
Moore had much praise for James Johnson after the game for his play on the floor.
“James Johnson was incredible in terms of his poise, his patience, and his unselfishness was off the charts,” Moore said. “He didn’t really force anything and really let his four other teammates have their way offensively.”
Scott Eatherton paced the Red Flash with 16 points and six rebounds in 32 minutes of play.
Dave Johnson was feeling a lot more confident with his shot heading into the game, leading to his eight of 11 shooting.
“I started making a few of them early and I just felt like I was going to have a good shooting day,” said Dave Johnson.
As the first half grew on, the lead for the Bobcats slowly extended itself. The full-court press instituted by Moore is what initially started the frustration for St. Francis.
Quinnipiac started using it off of made baskets following the first media time out and the Red Flash were quickly irritated. Junior Garvey Young (Washington, D.C.) finished with four steals on the night because of his tenacity on the press.
Freshman Ousmane Drame (Boston, Mass.) got the Bobcats excited on a play in the first half where he dove under a table on press row in order to try and save a ball heading out of bounds.
Quinnipiac opened up the second half on a 23-8 scoring run and did not stop continuing the lead for the remainder of the game. The largest lead of the night was 38 points for the Bobcats when they led 75-37 with four minutes remaining.
Offense has been the focus the last few practices and has paid off the last few games.
“The last couple of games we’ve been finding each other and building chemistry on offense,” said Azotam. “It’s all about being confident out there, knowing what shots to take.”
Azotam and Drame each had dunks in the second half that excited the crowd and really gave the Bobcats that much more of a boost.
The Bobcats cannot enjoy the victory for long, as preparations are still left to be made for archrival Robert Morris who comes into town for an 11 a.m. matchup on ESPNU.
Each matchup tends to be a defensive battle, making Quinnipiac’s ability knock down buckets vital.
“I’m expecting to have to work very hard for every basket we get on Saturday,” said Moore.
Quinnipiac remains tied for fifth place in the Northeast Conference with CCSU and Monmouth but hold the tiebreaker over both teams heading into the final game of the regular season.
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By Gilbert A. Celaya, QBSN Staff Writer
In a game that could have had a significant impact in the third place standings in the Northeast Conference (NEC), the Quinnipiac Bobcats (15-11, 8-7 NEC) lost to the St. Francis College (N.Y.) Terriers (14-12, 11-4 NEC) by a score of 64-56 Thursday night.
The Bobcats and the Terriers played a highly fast paced game that tested the discipline and will of both teams.
“We didn’t stop fighting today, but unfortunately the ball didn’t bounce our way,” Garvey Young (Washington D.C.) said. “They got a couple of offensive rebounds late that gave them extra possessions, and ultimately we weren’t able to come back like we did against Central [Connecticut State University].”
The game was played at an intense and fierce level that saw both teams collect 19 rebounds each in the first half alone. However, QU seemed to be outhustled by the Terriers most of the night.
“I thought the team that played a little harder, a little tougher on the backboards, and little stronger, a little faster all night won,” stated Quinnipiac head coach Tom Moore.
Most of the first half, Quinnipiac was able to keep up with St. Francis (N.Y.) displaying its scrappy play, clawing for every point.
Both teams finished the game almost evenly matched statistically. The Bobcats edged out the Terriers with 37.3 percent to 36.1 percent field goal percentage. However, the final score was the deciding factor in this game.
With 12 minutes left in the first half, Ousmane Drame (Boston, Mass.) skied for a rebound off a missed jump shot by Young and slammed it home for two points.
Unfortunately, the Bobcats defense did not sustain their reputation of the last few weeks as QU fell behind by eleven points at one time during the second half.
“I thought they punched us the first five minutes of the game and the first five minutes of the second half,” Moore said. “It felt like both halves we were staggering to come back from those two punches.”
Yet the Bobcats continued to fight hard and make an honorable comeback.
With just under six minutes left to go, Dave Johnson (Jackson, N.J.) passed the ball to Drame on the post. Drame worked his way to the hoop, but missed his lay-up attempt. However, Ike Azotam (Boston, Mass.) was on the other end of the basket to pick-up the rebound and laid the ball in for his eighth point of the game.
Then with three-and-a-half minutes left, Young was fouled for a three-point play and also made the point after attempt. Young led all scorers with 16 points on the night.
Late in the game, the Bobcats began to get sloppy, turning over the ball and rarely boxing out for rebounds, especially at the defensive end which gave St. Francis (N.Y.) second chance points.
“We’ve gotten a little bit away from what we’ve been the last three weeks. We’ve been about defense and about rebounding,” said Moore.
With under a minute left in the game, Drame grabbed a defensive rebound off a missed St. Francis shot, which led to a Bobcat fast break by James Johnson (Queens, N.Y.). Johnson was fouled attempting a lay-up, in which James Johnson buried both free throws.
It was too little too late for the Bobcats as they played catch-up the entire second half. With time winding down under a minute left to play, Quinnipiac had to start fouling in order to stop the clock.
Terriers controlled the final minutes of the game that ultimately handed the Bobcats their eleventh loss of the season and seventh in conference play.
“They imposed their will a little more on us than we did on them,” said Moore.
With a win, Quinnipiac could have moved into third place in the NEC. However, they remain in forth place in the standings.
The Bobcats face an uphill battle in their next game as they travel to face the first place team in the NEC, Long Island University, on Saturday Feb. 18. The game is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m.
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By Gilbert A. Celaya, QBSN Staff Writer
The Quinnipiac Bobcats (14-10, 7-6 NEC) came out firing on all cylinders on Wednesday night, defeating their rival the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils (10-13, 7-6 NEC), 72-44. QU set the tempo early as the Bobcats finished the game with 46.7 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from three-point range.
Quinnipiac head coach Tom Moore attributed the Bobcats win to his team’s defensive performance.
“I’m just happy with our defense and continue to be happy with our defense,” Moore said.
Both teams started the game with high intensity in the first half. The Bobcats played a very up-tempo as they led the Blue Devils by double digits most of the night and took a 34-22 lead into the locker room at halftime. The Bobcats spread the wealth around in the first half as six different players had contributed to putting points on the board for QU.
The Bobcats’ intensity was lead by point guard Dave Johnson (Jackson, N.J.) who continuously drove through the Blue Devils defense for a total of six assists on the night.
“I try to push the ball as much as I can and try to make plays to try to see if I can find someone open for a three, or every now and then dump the ball down to Ike [Azotam],” Dave Johnson said.
QU capitalized on its aggressiveness as the Bobcats outrebounded the Blue Devils 49-30. Sixteen of those rebounds collected by the Bobcats were on offense. Ousmane Drame (Boston, Mass.) led all offensive rebounders with five and also collected three defensive rebounds to finish the night with eight rebounds total. Ike Azotam (Boston, Mass.) also had eight rebounds and Dave Johnson had six rebounds, which helped the Quinnipiac control the boards.
“As long as we play tough, the offense will come and everything else will come from a tough defense,” said Azotam.
In the second half, the Bobcats continued to pressure CCSU. Azotam found a seam in the lane for a jam with eight minutes left in the game. Then Zaid Hearst (Bethesda, Md.) was fouled for a three-point play seconds later as he drove to the hoop on a fast break. Hearst finished the game with 10 points and three rebounds.
Central Connecticut State head Coach Howie Dickenman was not very happy with the Blue Devil’s performance.
“That was our worst game of the year, and Quinnipiac made it our worst game of the year,” said Dickenman.
Coach Dickenman went on to describe the somber mood of his team’s locker room after the game.
“We went in and it was like a morgue. We were a very poor basketball team. We played without passion. We played without emotion,” said Dickenman. “Quite honestly, we deserved what we got. I told our team that the highlight of the evening was when the final horn went off, so we could go to our locker room and mend our wounds.”
As CCSU Coach Dickenman mulled over the loss, QU’s head coach continued to rave about the Bobcat’s defensive performance.
“It’s one thing for the coach staff to try something, it’s another thing for the kids to buy into it and commit to it. Right now, they are bought in and they are committed, and we’re seeing great results,” Moore said. “So we’re seeing the results in the [opponents] field goal percentage decreasing and were seeing results in the wins/losses which is what the kids need to see.”
These two teams will play each other again this coming weekend as it is the Blue Devils turn to host the Bobcats.
“We just got to keep improving and keep being hungry, stay humble and stay hungry. And if we keep playing defense, the sky’s the limit,” said James Johnson (Queens, N.Y.)
Rivalry Week continues on Sunday, Feb. 12 when Quinnipiac travels to Central Connecticut State University for a noon start time.
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What to watch for: QU continues Jersey trip
By Matthias Gausz, QBSN Co-Director
The Bobcats men’s basketball team (12-10) travels to West Long Branch, N.J. to take on the Monmouth University Hawks (7-17) at the Multipurpose Activity Center on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 7:00 p.m. Both teams are tied for sixth place in the Northeast Conference at 5-6.
Quinnipiac has won three out of the last four games, the lone loss coming against Wagner last Saturday by the score of 51-50. The Bobcats come off a good 65-48 victory on Thursday at Fairleigh Dickinson. Sophomore forward Ike Azotam (Boston, Mass.) led the way with 22 points and 12 rebounds, and James Johnson (Queens, N.Y.) added ten points. Quinnipiac, second in the nation in rebound margin, dominated the boards 44-28 with Ousamne Drame (Boston, Mass.) grabbing 10 and 11 from Dave Johnson (Jackson, N.J.).
Quinnipiac has had many close games in conference play, being in every game since the conference opener against Sacred Heart. Their other five losses in conference play have been by a combined 12 points. The conference race is sorting out as the top three teams are starting to pull away from the rest. Long Island-Brooklyn is in first at 10-1, right behind them is Wagner and St. Francis (NY) tied at 9-2. Robert Morris and Central Connecticut are both two games back of second place at 7-4. Then there is Quinnipiac and Monmouth sitting in sixth with identical 5-6 records. Just one game back is Sacred Heart, St. Francis (PA) and Mount St. Mary’s, tied for the crucial eight spot. Bryant and Fairleigh Dickinson occupy the basement with 1-10 records apiece.
Monmouth comes in as winners of four out of its last five and is one of the surprise teams in the NEC this year. Under first year head coach King Rice, Monmouth has had a brutal non-conference schedule with trips to Villanova, Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt, Rutgers and North Carolina. This young team has definitely been a tough out as of late. They are a smaller team that likes to slow the tempo, as they only score 64.5 points a game. Junior guard Jesse Steele is the only player in double figures for the Hawks averaging 12.5 points per game. Their next eight players average between 8.7 and 4.6 points per game, making for a very balanced squad.
Monmouth weakness is on the boards as it averages 30 rebounds per game. The leading rebounder is Ed Waite, a 6-foot 3-inch power forward who manages 5.5 boards a game. The Hawks are a very scrappy team and want to grind it out and force turnovers. They will not overpower anyone; they don’t have the firepower to do so.
Key for the Bobcats:
Quinnipiac needs to hit the boards hard and control the paint like it did on Thursday night. James Johnson needs to get back into his role as being a scorer by taking much smarter shots and not forcing anything. Azotam and Drame can and need to dominate inside to play with the grind-it-out style. If the supporting cast can add their points as well, they should be able to come away with the weekend sweep.
Key for the Hawks:
The Hawks are going to play multiple players which allows them to play their grind-it-out style. The defense that they play will ultimately decide the outcome, if they can get the Bobcats to slow it down. If Monmouth falls into running up and down with Quinnipiac, it can find itself behind quickly. For any chance to come away with a W, they must find a way to challenge them on the boards.
Last Meeting: February 24, 2011 in Hamden. Quinnipiac won 64-59. Justin Rutty led the Bobcats with 17 points and 17 rebounds. Quinnipiac won the battle of the boards 44-21. For Monmouth, James Hett had 15 points, four assists and three rebounds. Due to the unbalanced schedule, this is the lone meeting in the regular season.
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Bobcats lose close NEC game against Wagner, 51-50
By Michael Desjardins, QBSN Staff Writer
The Quinnipiac Bobcats men’s basketball team lost a close game on Saturday to NEC conference opponent Wagner, 51-50.
Quinnipiac started with an early lead with a shot by freshman forward Ousmane Drame (Boston, Mass.). Throughout the early portion of the first half, the game turned into a defensive battle with neither team being able to score.
Midway through the first half though, the Seahawks broke it open with an 8-0 run. The Bobcats responded with an 8-0 run of their own.
Wagner would have yet another 8-0 run before Quinnipiac answered back, keeping the game close as the first half ended. Freshman forward Justin Harris (Paterson, N.J.) delivered a layup with two seconds left to end the half, down 28-25.
Quinnipiac began the second half much like the first by scoring early and locking the Seahawks defensively. After junior guard Garvey Young (Washington, D.C.) made an easy layup early in the second half, the Bobcats took their first lead since the beginning of the game.
The Bobcats then created a bigger lead, at one point leading by five. However, Wagner answered back by going on a 9-0 run and took the lead on a three-pointer with just under nine minutes left in regulation. Quinnipiac would keep the game close throughout the game, but it would never regain the lead.
The Bobcats had a chance to win the game after rebounding a missed free throw with about four seconds left. Junior guard Dave Johnson (Jackson, N.J.) attempted a shot from half-court, but it bounced off the rim and missed.
“Wagner has a very good 40-minute defensive presence about them that doesn’t really give you a lot of chances on offense to catch your breath,” Moore said.
Sophomore forward Ike Azotam (Boston, Mass.) had his 10th double-double of the season, recording 15 points and 13 rebounds. Drame had nine rebounds in the game, including seven offensively.
“I am real proud of how we competed all game,” head coach Tom Moore said. “Have a real high respect level for how good Wagner is and what a season they’ve put together, and how hard they compete. I was very proud of the level of which we battled them, in all phases of the game, throughout the 40 minutes of the game.”
With the loss, Quinnipiac falls to 4-6 in NEC-conference play and 11-10 overall this season. Its next game is on the road against Fairleigh Dickinson on Thursday, Feb. 2 at 7:00 p.m., followed by a road game against Monmouth on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 7:00 p.m.
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Scrappy Bobcats beat Mountaineers for OT win
By Gilbert A. Celaya, QBSN Staff Writer
The Quinnipiac Bobcats (11-9, 4-5 NEC) fought a hard and scrappy game on Thursday night defeating the Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers (4-16, 2-7 NEC) 69-66 in overtime.
In a tough battle that saw the end of regulation tied at 61, James Johnson (Queens, NY) missed a half court shot trying to win the game for the Bobcats. The missed attempt sent the game into overtime.
To start overtime, Ike Azotam (Boston, MA) rocked the bank for the first points of OT as he rattled the rim with a two-handed jam. Azotam lead the Bobcats in scoring with 20 points as he was 8-for-17 from the field and 4-for-6 from the free throw line on Thursday night.
Overtime seesawed back and forth between QU and Mount St. Mary’s as the Mountaineers seemed to be back on their heels. Julian Norfleet put up a three-point attempt to try and send the game to a second overtime as time ran off the clock. But the shot fell short and time ran out on Mount St. Mary’s. The fans at the TD Bank Sports Center cheered their Bobcats as QU evened up the all-time series at 13-13 versus the Mountaineers. Norfleet lead all scorers with 26 points.
However the game was a tale of two different halves for QU. The Bobcats were outscored 43-28 in the first half. QU also seemed to lack intensity during the first half, as they were out rebounded 20-17.
“We were shocked and down going into the locker room at halftime. I think we came out very non-chalant, I know I did, and it took us awhile to get going,” Azotam said after the game.
Led by the speed of Josh Castellanos, the high scoring Norfleet and with Kristijan Krajina dominating the inside, the Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers seemed to have an answer for everything that the Bobcats threw at them. Norfleet led all scorers with 12 points in the first half.
Most of the first half, the Bobcats seemed to hang in with the Mountaineers fast-paced offense. However, the inability to convert lay-ups and grab rebounds hindered QU as they tried to stay in the game.
Quinnipiac Head Coach Tom Moore expressed his displeasure with way his team played in the first half.
“I was shocked and disappointed with our performance. We looked sluggish and we allowed Mount St. Mary’s to dictate the tempo in the first half,” said Moore.
The Mountaineers always seemed to have an answer to QU’s full court press as Mount St. Mary’s easily handled the QU’s full court defense. Mount St. Mary’s scored willfully as if the Bobcat defense seemed to not even stand in its way.
“I think I stayed with the full court press a little too long in the first half, and this allowed Mount St. Mary’s to get 10 offensive rebounds in the first half,” Moore said.
The big contributor for the Bobcats in the first half was Azotam, who was 4-for-6 from the field leading the Bobcats in scoring during the first half. Halfway through the first half, Azotam was able to receive a pass underneath the basket for a thunder dunk that excited the QU fans.
“Ike’s had a lot thrown at him this year. I think he spoiled us with all those triple-doubles he had at the beginning of the season, and now we want him to keep doing it. But he’s responded very well to the pressures that the team has faced this season,” said Moore.
Early in the second half, however, the tables seemed to turn and favor the Bobcats as they picked up their intensity and hustle. While the Mountaineers only scored two points in the first six minutes of the second half, the Bobcats scored 14 points cutting the lead to 45-42. Mount St. Mary’s did not score another basket until less than 11 minutes left in the game.
The Bobcat defense tightened their pressure in the second half, as they were able to slow down the Mountaineers and begin to out rebound Mount St. Mary’s.
“All we wanted to do was get pressure on the ball,” said Azotam of the Bobcats’ defense in the second half.
As the Bobcats applied pressure on the Mountaineers in the second half, Ousmane Drame (Boston, Mass), who was on the court for most of the first half for QU but did not make his presence felt, was able to throw down a dunk with nine minute and 37 seconds left in the game. Less than a minute later, Azotam again skied over everyone for another thunder jam. Azotam’s dunk put the Bobcats ahead of Mount St. Mary’s as both teams began to battle for the lead. This sequence set up the game for the last minute shot taken by Johnson in the final seconds leading into overtime.
Drame finished the night with 13 points going 5-for-9 from the field and 3-for-4 from the charity stripe. However, it was Drame’s second half rebounding that help lift the Bobcats to the overtime victory as he lead all rebounders with 15 boards.
“Ouse is not too strong, but he’s good with his hands, knows how to use his body, and he’s got a great basketball I.Q. He knows what he has and he’s using that to help us get the boards that we need,” said Moore of Drame.
As the Bobcats now look past Mount St. Mary’s, Azotam expressed his excitement of beating the Mountaineers after the game. But he also knows what’s at stake for the team.
“We can’t afford to lose at this point. We’re battling to get into the tournament at the end of the season. Our moral went up after this win. I think we can beat any team in the conference now,” Azotam said.
The next game for the Bobcats is on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 2 p.m. versus the Wagner Seahawks at the TD Bank Sports Center.
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Bobcats return home to face Mount St. Mary’s
By Kevin Noonan, QBSN Staff Writer
The Quinnipiac men’s basketball team finally returns home Thursday night after a four game road trip to take on the Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers at 7 p.m. in the TD Bank Sports Center. The Bobcats (10-9, 3-5 NEC) come into the game after going 2-2 on the road trip. The Mountaineers (4-15, 2-6 NEC) are in the midst of a four game road trip of their own and have dropped the first two games.
Quinnipiac last played on a snowy afternoon in Smithfield, R.I., defeating the Bryant Bulldogs 78-71 in overtime. The Bobcats were lead by senior guard James Johnson (Queens, N.Y.) with 23 points, three rebounds and three assists. At halftime, Quinnipiac lead Bryant 34-29. The game continued to be a battle through the second half with the Bobcats slightly on top until Bryant tied the game with 16 seconds remaining. Raphael Jordan was fouled on a three-point attempt, which he then made two-of-three free throws to tie the game at 63. Quinnipiac had more energy in the overtime session, outscoring Bryant 15-8 to secure the victory. Sophomore Ike Azotam (Boston, Mass.) also had a solid game scoring 19 points and grabbing seven rebounds while junior Dave Johnson (Jackson, N.J.) tied his career high once again with 18 points and five rebounds. Quinnipiac only knocked down two three-pointers compared to Bryant’s seven, but the Bobcats outshot the Bulldogs from the floor 39.4 percent to 36.4 percent. Quinnipiac once again won the battle of the boards, 51-34.
Mount St. Mary’s last game was 79-60 loss to the St. Francis (N.Y.) Terriers. The Mountaineers never led in the game, despite shooting 42.9 percent from the floor. Julian Norfleet lead Mount St. Mary’s in scoring with 14 points while Josh Castellanos notched 10 points and five steals. Xavier Owens and Chad Holley combined for 21 points off the bench for the Mountaineers, providing a spark that was desperately needed. Mount St. Mary’s was unable to shut down the Terrier offense. St. Francis (N.Y.) went off for nine three-pointers and shot 55.3 percent from the field. The Mountaineers were also outrebounded 33-24. Mount St. Mary’s could not recover from their awful first half, trailing 35-17. In the second half, the Mountaineers were only beaten by one point, but ultimately lost by 19 points.
Keys for the Bobcats:
Quinnipiac needs the bench to step up big time. Although they have won two of their last four games, the bench players have not been productive. The Bobcats are relying too much on the starters. Freshmen Evan Conti (Bayside, N.Y.) and Marquis Barnett (Bronx, N.Y.) combined for the only six bench points against Bryant. If the bench can score 15 points, along with the starters usual contributions, the Bobcats will have no problem beating Mount St. Mary’s. Quinnipiac also needs to play solid defense. The Mountaineers are only averaging 57.7 points per game, and if the Bobcats can keep this average, their 71.8 points per game will give them a solid victory.
Keys for the Mountaineers:
Defense will be the key of the game for Mount St. Mary’s. Forcing Quinnipiac to take bad shots, along with boxing out to prevent offensive rebounds will go along way. Quinnipiac is first in the nation in offensive rebounds per game with 17.1. If the Mountaineers simply box out, they will limit the second chance opportunities. Mount St. Mary’s can defend the three-pointer well, only allowing three-pointers at a rate of 30.7 percent. The Mountaineers will have their best chance to win in a low scoring game. Look out for Norfleet on the offensive end, as he is the go-to outside shooter. Danny Thompson is the main inside threat for the Mountaineers, averaging nearly nine points and eight rebounds per game.
Previous Matchup:
Quinnipiac and Mount St. Mary’s last played in the Quarterfinals of the NEC Tournament on March 3 at the TD Bank Sports Center. The Bobcats won the matchup 78-59 to head on to the Semifinals. Justin Rutty lead the way for the Bobcats with 22 points and 16 rebounds. Rutty passed the 1,000 career rebound mark in the game. James Johnson scored 13 points, and Deontay Twyman and Dave Johnson each chimed in 10 points apiece on the way to victory. For Mount St. Mary’s, Shawn Aputem scored a team high 20 points while Norfleet scored nine points and added five helpers. Quinnipiac outshot Mount St. Mary’s 50 percent to 42 percent and held an astounding edge in points in the paint at 48-20.
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Timely Pioneer shooting, rebounding defeats Bobcats
By Miles McQuiggan, QBSN Staff Writer
FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Behind a career-high 26 points from Louis Montes, 18 second-half points from Shane Gibson, and two rally-crushing offensive rebounds at the end of the game, the Sacred Heart Pioneers knocked off the Quinnipiac Bobcats, 78-75, at the Pitt Center in Fairfield Thursday night. With the win, Sacred Heart improved to 9-11 overall, and 3-4 in the Northeast Conference, while Quinnipiac fell to 9-9 on the season, and 2-5 in NEC play.
Three Bobcats were in double figures in the loss. Dave Johnson (Jackson, N.J.) led Quinnipiac with 18, while James Johnson (Queens, N.Y.) tallied 16, and Ike Azotam (Boston, Mass.) recorded 15. The Bobcats had eight rebounds each from Azotam, Ousmane Drame (Boston, Mass.), and Jamee Jackson (Newark, N.J.), who played 22 minutes in his first game back from a foot injury that had him sidelined since mid-December.
Quinnipiac led 33-31 at the half, in a back-and-forth stanza that featured six lead changes. The second half featured the same dynamic, as one team would go on a run, and the other would answer back with a run of its own. The Bobcats saw their final lead of the contest slip away with 4:20 remaining, as Gibson hit a layup and made the free throw on a three-point play to put the Pioneers up for good.
With 1:06 remaining, trailing 74-73, the Bobcats had a chance to tilt the table. However, a pair of missed Pioneers shots turned into offensive rebounds, and with less than 35 seconds remaining, Quinnipiac was forced to play the fouling game.
The Bobcats had one final glimmer of a chance with 0.4 seconds remaining, when Dave Johnson was flattened while hoisting a three-quarter court attempt. Johnson made the first two free throws, but was unsuccessful in the schoolyard attempt of bouncing the ball off the rim out for a three-point attempt.
“I thought the most important part of the game was when Gibson went out with his fourth foul at the ten-minute mark,” Coach Tom Moore said. “They really survived that stretch.”
“We did too many things in the last three minutes to hurt our chances to win,” Moore added, alluding to the missed box-outs, and an inbounding violation that gave the ball back to Sacred Heart.
Quinnipiac returns to action on Saturday, when they travel to Smithfield, R.I., to take on Bryant. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.
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What to watch for: Bobcats look for revenge on SHU
By Matthias Gausz, QBSN Co-Director
The Bobcats men’s basketball team (9-8, 2-4 NEC) travels down the Merritt Parkway to face instate rival, Sacred Heart University (8-11, 2-4 NEC) at the William Pitt Center in Fairfield, Conn. on Thursday, Jan. 19 at 7:00 p.m.
Quinnipiac is coming off a rough loss at St. Francis (PA) on Saturday, 74-71. Ike Azotam (Boston, Mass.) led the Bobcats with 28 points, but only grabbed four rebounds. Dave Johnson (Jackson, N.J.) added 15 points to go along with seven assists and six rebounds. Overall, they just weren’t able to defend down the stretch and allowed a lowly Red Flash team to shoot over 50 percent from the field.
The Bobcats haven’t been able to defend up front and really miss Jamee Jackson’s (Newark, N.J.) presence. Freshman forward Justin Harris (Paterson, N.J.) has played more minutes off the bench as of late hoping to take some of Jackson’s role. QU has established their top two scorers in Azotam and James Johnson (Queens, N.Y.), but it is in desperate need of another body able to score and Dave Johnson might just be the answer. The pesky junior guard has played great in the last four games averaging twelve points, five assists and five rebounds per game. He needs to continue to play well in conference play if they want to make a run at a title.
Sacred Heart is coming off 70-67 loss to Robert Morris on Saturday, despite Shane Gibson’s 28 points. Gibson has been the bright spot on the Pioneer squad that has had struggles this season, playing defense. They have been able to score with everyone they’ve played but they have just allowed too many points. They also are a team that struggles on the glass. They’re best defensive performance may have been against Quinnipiac in the first meeting in December. The Pioneers held QU to just over 31 percent shooting and caused 14 turnovers. Gibson has been efficient all year. If he can get some help from the players around him, they can start piling up wins.
Key for the Bobcats:
The Bobcats must defend and pay attention to Gibson, who had 21 in the first meeting. They will out rebound the Pioneers; it’s just a matter of connecting on those second chance shots. If the top three of Dave Johnson, James Johnson and Azotam play to their abilities, they should take the victory. The big key will be the bench play; Quinnipiac will need to have production out of its six to nine guys. If they can play well as an all-around team, top to bottom, they can grab the W.
Key for the Pioneers:
The Pioneers will have to get Gibson to continue to play like he has, averaging over 20 points per game. The defense that showed up in the first match-up has to be back as they force the Bobcats to take errant shots and cause havoc. If they can hit the glass, cause the Bobcats to become rattled and beat at their own game they might come away with a season sweep on the Bobcats.
Last Meeting: December 1, 2011 in Hamden. Quinnipiac lost 68-55, despite Azotam’s 18 points and 16 rebounds. QU only shot 31 percent from the floor and missed eleven free throws. Gibson led Sacred Heart with 21 points and five rebounds.
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What to watch For: QU tries for .500
By Matthias Gausz, QBSN Co-Director
The Bobcats men’s basketball team (9-7, 2-3 NEC) heads to Loretto, Pa. to face the St. Francis University Red Flash (3-13, 2-3 NEC) at the DeGol Arena on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 4:00 p.m.
Quinnipiac came away with a key victory Thursday night at Robert Morris, led by the trio of James Johnson (Queens, N.Y.), Dave Johnson (Jackson, N.J.), and Ike Azotam (Boston, Mass.) who combined for 57 points. As a team, QU shot 58.5 percent from the field and was seven for ten from three point range. With their shot making, they only grabbed 26 rebounds. They are second in the nation averaging over 44 a game, but still managed to outrebound RMU by one.
The Bobcats didn’t get much from freshman forward Ousmane Drame (Boston, Mass.) as he fouled out in 23minutes of action and finished with three points and two rebounds. Making smart shots and playing stingy defense down the stretch allowed QU to grab the huge victory on the road.
St. Francis (PA) is coming off of a three point loss to Sacred Heart on Thursday night. Scott Eatherton leads the way for a young team that lost key contributors to graduation and transfers. The Red Flash has lost six straight and has struggled to score since the loss of junior standout Umar Shannon, who tore his ACL and his out for the season. Shannon was a second team All-NEC last season and dropped 26 in the season opener versus VCU. Eatherton has taken on the load inside and leads the NEC in shooting at 68 percent from the floor. Outside of Eatherton, the Red Flash lacks height and is a poor rebounding team and only averages 60 points per game.
Key for the Bobcats:
The Bobcats need to have a repeat of Thursday night’s performance – sharing the ball. Dave and James Johnson have taken the reigns as of late, and it’s had a positive outcome. Azotam has consistently played well, and if he can get help from Drame up front they will start to really click. With Jamee Jackson (Newark, N.J.) still out, the young bench will have to continue to give important minutes. If Quinnipiac duplicates its blueprint from Thursday’s second half, they should be able to handle the Red Flash.
Key for the Red Flash:
Saint Francis needs to slow down the Bobcats and force them into foul trouble in order to have a chance. The lack of scoring has been very noticeable as once they are down they can’t get back in games. If Eatherton can have a career game, they might be able to stay in it. They will also need some young role players to step up. If the Red Flash can really slow down the tempo and play great defense against QU, they could grab the upset.
Last Meeting: January 29, 2011 in Hamden. Quinnipiac won 77-57 after opening the game on a 22-0 run. Four players were in double figures, and QU shot over 50 percent from the floor. Eatherton had eleven off the bench for the Red Strom. They will meet again on Feb. 26 in Hamden.
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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. 28 in Hamden.
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What to watch For: QU hosts Long Island
By Matthias Gausz, QBSN Co-Director
The Bobcats men’s basketball team (8-6, 1-2 NEC) hosts the Long Island University Blackbirds (9-6, 3-0 NEC) at the TD Bank Sports Center on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 2:00 p.m.
Quinnipiac had a rough loss on Thursday night as they gave up a three-point-play with five seconds to go to lose 73-72 at St. Francis (NY). James Johnson (Queens, N.Y.) led the Bobcats with 28 points but put up 23 attempts in the game. Three other Bobcats were in double figures, but they just couldn’t finish down the stretch holding a six point lead with under two minutes to go and held scoreless in that stretch. The loss of Jamee Jackson (Newark, N.J.) hasn’t affected QU that much as the emergence of Ousmane Drame (Boston, Mass.) has continued.
Quinnipiac has still won six of eight, but as it gets into the full swing of conference action it faces two of the top teams in the league in back to back games – Long Island and Robert Morris. It will need to get the ball into other players’ hands, especially the big men in order to become effective in the second half. The guard-play as been good in both Johnsons and Garvey Young (Washington, D.C.) off the bench.
Long Island comes in after an 87-81 win at Sacred Heart on Thursday night and is still undefeated in their three NEC contests. They are led up front by Julian Boyd and Jamal Olasewere, who both put up double-doubles on Thursday. The Blackbirds have won four in a row, scoring more than 82 points in all four games, as their big men are clicking with their young point guard Jason Brickman. Their length up front has given teams fits all season, and the match-up with QU’s two big guys is the match-up to watch.
Key for the Bobcats:
Quinnipiac needs to control the boards and make sure it capitalizes on those opportunities. The Bobcats are going to need to get out on transition and make some baskets because LIU will push the tempo and try to run them out of the gym. Moving the ball around will be important as James Johnson can’t take 23 shots in this one. If they control the tempo and limit LIU’s fast break points they should steal a victory.
Key for the Blackbirds:
The Blackbirds need to keep the pace up as Quinnipiac doesn’t like to run and would rather slow things down. The bigs, Boyd and Olasewere, will have to continue to crash the boards and set up look for the guards outside, playing inside out. If this game gets into the 80s then the Blackbirds should stay perfect in the NEC.
Last Meeting: February 5, 2011 in Brooklyn. Quinnipiac lost 84-74, as five LIU players were in double figures. Quinnipiac erased a nine-point deficit to take a lead in the second half, but the depth of LIU was too much down the stretch. James Johnson led QU with 24 points and Justin Rutty had 20 points off the bench. They will meet again on Feb. 18 in Brooklyn.
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What to Watch For: QU on the road again
By Matthias Gausz, QBSN Co-Director
The Bobcats men’s basketball team (5-4) travels to Amherst, Mass. to take on the University of Massachusetts Minutemen (8-3) at the Mullins Center on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 7:00 p.m. The game will also be televised in New England on NESN.
Quinnipiac has won three straight after dropping three straight, including a big 62-58 win at Vermont on Sunday. Jamee Jackson (Newark, N.J.) led the way with 20 points and added seven rebounds. Ousmane Drame (Boston, Mass.) came off the bench and grabbed 14 rebounds in only 19 minutes, and James Johnson (Queens, N.Y.) chipped in 14 points. The free throw shooting improved as down the stretch they were able to make them to extend the lead.
UMass comes in with wins in three of their last four games over Towson, East Carolina, and Siena. All three of their losses have come away from home, so they have protected home court well, going 5-0. They are led by sophomore guard Chaz Williams, a Hofstra transfer. The point guard is averaging 15 points and over six assists this season. The Minutemen are also a great rebounding team as they average over 40 boards a game, good for 12th in the nation; QU is first with just over 44 a game.
The Minutemen are a very balanced team, as outside of Williams, they have eight players averaging between five and 10 points per game. They are a bigger team then Quinnipiac as they sport nine players 6 feet 7 inches or taller. But with their height, comes struggle on defending the boards. Their rebound margin is plus-three, as Quinnipiac attacks and defends well with a plus-eleven margin. The battle up front will be the difference in the game, as well as the matchup of scoring guards.
Key for the Bobcats:
Quinnipiac needs to hit the boards hard and make the Minutemen take smart shots, like they have over the past week. The rotation has started to dwindle to only seven players playing more than 10 minutes a game. The Bobcats they have gotten good guard play with both Johnsons, and Jackson is starting to come into his own. Staying out of foul trouble and hitting big shots should propel QU to the upset victory.
Key for the Minutemen:
The Minutemen are going to play multiple players which will allow them to run more often as they are both big and balanced. With having multiple scorers, it poses as a matchup threat as scoring will come from everywhere, something that QU hasn’t faced yet. If they can continue to have balanced scoring and limit the Bobcats on second chance opportunities, they should keep home court advantage.
Last Meeting: December 1, 2010 in Hamden. Quinnipiac lost 66-64, as the Bobcats were called for goaltending as time expired. Quinnipiac erased a 17-point halftime deficit to tie it down the stretch as Justin Rutty had 21 points and 13 rebounds. Javorn Farrell led the Minutemen with 25 points off the bench. Massachusetts leads the all-time series 2-0, as this will be the third meeting in as many years.
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Men's basketball overcomes first-half struggles, defeats Hawks
By Miles McQuiggan, QBSN Staff Writer
After a frantic first half in which the Quinnipiac men’s basketball team was uncharacteristically outrebounded, and in the words of head coach Tom Moore, “outhustled and out-toughed,” the Bobcats turned it around by getting back to their strong, physical play on the boards in a 70-61 victory over Hartford at Chase Family Arena Tuesday night.
The Hawks outrebounded the Bobcats, 15-14, in the opening stanza. It was a twenty-minute stretch that left both of Quinnipiac’s starting big men with two fouls, three for starting point guard Dave Johnson (Jackson, N.J.), and a frustrated Moore on the sideline. However, the ability to find good looks from the floor allowed the Bobcats to head to the locker room with a 38-31 cushion.
The second half started out even worse for Quinnipiac, as Hartford pulled ahead courtesy of a 13-4 run in the first six minutes of the frame. But after another sloppy stretch on both sides for the next two and a half minutes, Dave Johnson was able to come up with a steal and a layup in transition to give the Bobcats a 45-44 lead, one they would not relinquish the rest of the way.
Dave Johnson was one of four Bobcats in double figures, scoring 10 points on the night. James Johnson (Queens, N.J.) and Ike Azotam (Boston, Mass.) led the Bobcats by posting 15 points each, with Azotam recording 10 rebounds for his sixth double-double in the team’s first eight games. Freshman Zaid Hearst (Bethesda, Md.) tallied 14 points in his second career start. The Bobcats outrebounded the Hawks, 27-13, in the second half.
Hartford guard Andres Torres scored a game-high 25 points, 18 of them coming from beyond the arc.
“We played [Torres] strictly as a driver. We gave him a lot of space offensively to shoot threes, and he took the dare, and really did a great job from the perimeter,” Moore said.
The Bobcats return to action on Sunday when they travel to Burlington, Vt. to take on another America East opponent, the Vermont Catamounts.
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What to Watch For: QU heads to Hartford
By Matthias Gausz, QBSN Co-Director
The Bobcats men’s basketball team (3-4) travels to West Hartford to take on the University of Hartford Hawks (0-8) at the Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion on Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 7:00 p.m. The game will also be televised locally on CPTV-Sports.
After dropping their first NEC game, Quinnipiac came back on Saturday with an 83-72 victory over Bryant to pull even at 1-1 in conference play. Jamee Jackson (Newark, N.J.) led the Bobcats with a career-high 21 points and pulled nine rebounds. James Johnson (Queens, N.Y.) added 17 points; Ike Azotam (Boston, Mass.) and Dave Johnson (Jackson, N.J.) both had 11 points. The Bobcats led by double digits for the majority of the game and came close to a 30-point lead in the first half, where it seemed they couldn’t miss a shot.
For the game, Quinnipiac shot 47.5 percent from the floor, above its average. They did allow the Bulldogs to shoot over 50 percent, but they limited their number of possessions by good ball movement and taking smarter shots. Again, Quinnipiac was unable to hit their free throws, going 19-32 from the line. Only seven players played significant minutes, allowing for four of the starting five to score in double-digits.
Hartford comes into the game on an eight game losing streak, and its’ lack of scoring is the main culprit. They currently rank 329th out of 345 Division I teams in the country in scoring with 56.0 points per game. They have scored over 58 points in only two games this year, despite playing against lower competition. They have only faced one major conference opponent in Penn State. They are led by freshman forward Nate Sikma, who is averaging eight points per game and four and a half rebounds per game. Hartford is one of only seven winless teams left in the country.
Key for the Bobcats:
They need to play exactly like they did on Saturday against Bryant, taking smart shots. They need to continue having a third or fourth scorer to add with Aztoam and James Johnson, and key minutes off the bench from Garvey Young (Washington, D.C.) and Ousmane Drame (Boston, Mass.). If QU can dictate the tempo of the game and hit glass like usual, they should be able to come away with the victory.
Key for the Hawks:
They are going to try and slow down the tempo of the game to a grind-it-out style, every-possession-counts game. They don’t have the treat of a pure scorer, so they will look to pass the ball and share looks. Overall, they have not been able to play a 40minute game, and if they want to grab their first W, then they need to do it tonight.
Last Meeting: November 16, 2010 in Hamden. Quinnipiac won 66-64. James Johnson had 23 points with seven rebounds and Justin Rutty had another double-double for Quinnipiac. Morgan Sabia led Hartford with 23 points on 8-14 shooting. Quinnipiac leads the all-time series 14-5, including nine wins in the last 10 meetings.
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What to Watch For: QU looks to stop streak
By Matthias Gausz, QBSN Co-Director
The Bobcats men’s basketball team (2-4) hosts the visiting Bulldogs of Bryant University (1-6) at the TD Bank Sports Center on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 3:00 p.m.
In their first conference game of the year Thursday night, the Bobcats lack of baskets ultimately cost them the game. In the 68-55 loss to Sacred Heart, QU shot 31.3 percent from the floor and under 50 percent from the free throw line. Sophomore Ike Azotam (Boston, Mass.) led the way for Quinnipiac with 18 points and 16 rebounds. James Johnson (Queens, N.Y.) added 15 points and three assists, as they were the only Bobcats in double figures.
The other three starters for Quinnipiac combined to go 1-15 from the floor and only had four points. QU was able to win the battle of the boards again, but they couldn’t find a way to put them in the hoop. Foul trouble was another problem as Johnson and Garvey Young (Washington, D.C.) both fouled out down the stretch.
In Bryant’s conference opener, they were manhandled by Central Connecticut State, 83-51. Alex Francis, Frankie Dobbs, and Corey Maynard all chipped in twelve points. The lone win on the year was against UC Davis, but they have faced San Diego State and Notre Dame. They are a young team with no seniors and are in their last year of transition to Division I from Division II.
Key for the Bobcats:
They need to take smarter shorts and again, limit the fouls. They have been able to set up an inside outside game with Azotam and J.Johnson, but they need a consistent third scorer; either Nate Gause (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) or Young need to make their shots. Outside of Shane Gibson on Thursday, they have been able to limit their top scorer, so Alex Francis is this game’s target. If they slow things down and make their free throws, they should be able to get their first NEC win.
Key for the Bulldogs:
They need to get some key bench play and not rely on their top four to score 90 percent of the team’s points. Playing spoiler has been their mantra this year and did last year here in Hamden. If they can cause havoc and force the Bobcats into bad shots and get them in foul trouble early on they might grab a key road win.
Last Meeting: February 17, 2011 at Bryant. Quinnipiac won 80-60. James Johnson had 24 points and Justin Rutty had 16 points and 10 rebounds for Quinnipiac. Bryant was led by Alex Francis with 17 points and nine rebounds. Quinnipiac leads the all-time series 40-17, dating back to their days in the Northeast-10 conference in Division II.
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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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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.
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.
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What to Watch For: QU faces tough road test
By Matthias Gausz, QBSN Co-Director
The Bobcats men’s basketball team (2-2) heads to Bethlehem, Pa. to take on the Lehigh University Mountain Hawks (4-2) at Stabler Arena on Monday, Nov. 28 at 7:00 p.m.
Quinnipiac is coming off a close loss last Tuesday at American University, as they fell 74-73. It came down to the last possession when a Dave Johnson (Jackson, N.J.) pass that was intended for Ike Azotam (Boston, Mass) was stolen away in the waning seconds. The game featured 32 fouls called on the Bobcats which turned into the Eagles going 34-48 from the charity stripe.
James Johnson (Queens, N.Y.) fouled out with less than eight seconds remaining in the game Tuesday night. He was the lone Bobcat that did so, but the foul trouble made Coach Tom Moore go to his bench early and often. Azotam led the way for QU, as he had a career high 20 points to go along with 14 rebounds for his fourth consecutive double-double. He has burst out of the gate to start his sophomore campaign. Last year he only averaged five points and five rebounds in his time off the bench. Azotam has hit the boards at a record pace and currently sits first in the nation is rebound average at 14.3 per game.
The Bobcats did shoot 45.6 percent from the field Tuesday night, but the surplus of fouls led to their downfall. Freshman guard Nate Gause (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) has been the key player off the bench as he has scored double figures in three of his first four games.
Lehigh is a team that has already been on America’s radar as they had a double digit lead at St. John’s in the opening week. They ultimately lost the game 78-73. They have won their last four after dropping the first two to St. Johns’s and Iowa State. The Mountain Hawks are led by C.J. McCollum, a junior guard who is the highest returning scorer in the nation from last year. He is averaging 19 points, five rebounds, and three assists so far this year. McCollum is the go-to man and has been able to score at will and hit the boards with some bigger bodies. Junior forward Gabe Knutson is the inside presence for Lehigh and is averaging 13 points per game this year. Lehigh was picked to finish second in the Patriot League and made the tournament in 2010.
Key for the Bobcats:
Quinnipiac must be able to stay out of foul trouble and limit McCollum. If they can stay with playing the eight or nine man rotation then they will play at the level they are capable of. The Bobcats will also have success by giving James Johnson the touches he needs. Azotam needs to continue to play like he has so far and get Jamee Jackson (Newark, N.J.) back to where he has been in the past. The final necessity is to limit McCollum to no more than 15 points and make the rest of the team score.
Key for the Mountain Hawks:
Lehigh needs McCollum to play as well as usual, but another scorer needs to step up as much as McCollum. Holden Greiner and Knutson account for 80 percent of their points. If they can limit Quinnipiac’s ability to win the battle on the boards then they should do well, but that’s easier said than done. Their chemistry is great which has allowed them to excel so far this season.
Last Meeting: The last time these two teams met was Dec. 7, 2010 at the Bank. Quinnipiac won 84-78. Justin Rutty had 27 points and 11 rebounds, and three other Bobcats were in double figures. McCollum was held to 15 points, and the Mountain Hawks were demolished on the boards 56-28. Quinnipiac leads the all-time series 3-1.
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What to Watch For: Midshipmen visit QU
By Matthias Gausz, QBSN Co-Director
The Bobcats men’s basketball team (1-1) will host the Navy Midshipmen (2-1) at the TD Bank Sports Center on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 2:00pm.
Quinnipiac is coming off their first win of the season in a 68-62 victory over local rival Yale Tuesday night in Hamden. Junior James Johnson (Queens, N.Y.) led the Bobcats with 25 points to go along with four rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Johnson started his 97th career game after he missed the season opener on Friday after serving a suspension for an off-court incident. Sophomore Ike Azotam (Boston, Mass.) added 17 points and 18 rebounds, controlling the paint for QU.
The Bobcats are a different team compared to last year’s as they are much younger, with nine newcomers including eight freshmen. The starters for Quinnipiac consist of a senior, two juniors and two sophomores, but the next six off the bench are all freshmen.
Quinnipiac has kept the rebounding culture under Coach Tom Moore still in check as they have out rebounded all of their opponents this year including Northeastern and Iona in their preseason scrimmages. With the loss of NEC all-time leading rebounder, some thought that this might be in jeopardy but Azotam has stepped in and is averaging 17 points per game and 14 rebounds per game. The Bobcats’ defense has been decent in their first two games, holding their opponents big-men to five points for Greg Mangano of Yale, and 12 for the Fairfield 7-footer Ryan Olander.
Navy is coming in off of a tough loss at Siena, 65-56, after opening up with wins over Longwood and Penn State-Altoona. Longwood is a D-I independent and PSU-Altoona plays at the D-III level. Navy has a new head coach in Ed DeChellis, who left Penn State in May to take over at the Naval Academy. Navy is led by sophomore forward J.J. Avila who upped his average to 14.7 ppg and 7.0 rpg after a very good freshman year. In the backcourt is senior guard Jordan Sugars who led the Midshipmen in scoring last year.
Key for the Bobcats:
For QU, they must get scoring from players not named Azotam or James Johnson. If junior forward Jamee Jackson (Newark N.J.) and junior guard Dave Johnson (Jackson, N.J.) can put the ball in the hoop and not foul out, like they did on Tuesday, then the Bobcats should be in prime position for the win.
Key for the Midshipmen:
For Navy, they must be able to show that they can play at this level after having a really easy open to the schedule. They will also need to add some versatility on the offensive side and to rely on Avila and Sugars. If they can penetrate and kick out to make some threes they should be in good shape.
Last Meeting:
The last time these teams met it was Nov. 30, 2009, their first ever meeting. Navy won the game 65-62 on a buzzer beater three by senior Chris Harris, giving him 31 points on the evening. Senior James Feldeine led the Bobcats with 24 points, including 18 in the second half, to erase the 14-point deficit at the half.
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Bobcats protect the bank for first win of the season
By Gilbert A. Celaya, QBSN Staff Writer
The Quinnipiac Bobcats (1-1) extended their all-time lead over the Yale Bulldogs to 4-0 by a final score of 68-62 in front of a stellar crowd to protect the TD Bank Sports Center on Tuesday night. The victory over Yale is Quinnipiac’s first of the season.
Bobcats head coach Tom Moore was pleased with the way his team performed against the Bulldogs.
“I’m happy with the way we played. We were very composed even though we have a young team,” said Moore of his team’s play.
In a game that was featured on the SportsNet New York (SNY), Bobcats senior guard James Johnson (Queens, N.Y.) was the standout player of the game draining three three-pointers that buried the Bulldog defense. Playing 37 minutes, Johnson finished with 25 points and an astounding zero personal fouls.
The first half featured the two teams feeling each other out as if to see who would make the first move. This made for a good free-throw battle between Yale and QU. As both teams were trying to be cautious, they each kept sending each other to the free-throw line.
With a score of 32-31 at the half, free throws kept the Bobcats ahead of the Bulldogs throughout the first half of the game. Yale’s leading scorer in the first half was senior forward/guard Reggie Willhite, who was 5-of-8 from the floor but 0-of-2 from the free-throw line, as Bulldog teammate sophomore center/forward Jeremiah Kreisberg was a perfect 6-for-6 at the free-throw line.
The Bobcats’ sophomore forward Ike Azotam (Boston, Mass.) and Johnson only had a pair each from the field, but were 5-of-6 and 5-of-7 respectively from the charity stripe. Freshman forward Ousmane Drame (Boston, Mass.), sophomore forward Justin Harris (Paterson, N.J.) and freshmen forward Alex Jackson (Baltimore, Md.), also contributed with free throws to give Quinnipiac a 77.8% to 72.2% first half advantage over the Bulldogs.
The second half was a faster paced game as the Bulldogs and Bobcats pressed each other, causing sloppy play by both teams. Quinnipiac struggled with penalties early in the second half with more than 15 minutes still left to play, but they were able to regain their composure and out play Yale.
Azotam accredited his teammates with being able to recognize when they need to count on each other when the Bobcats start to lose their composure.
“It was the same against Fairfield. We have some young guys who start to complain. But that’s the good thing about having leaders like James [Johnson], Jamee [Jackson], and Dave [Johnson],” Azotam said. “They’re good leaders and they were able to keep our heads up.”
James Johnson hit his first three-pointer for the Bobcats with 15:35 left in the second half and his second three-pointer with just over 11 minutes left. These threes gave Quinnipiac a four point lead both times as the game started to become a see-saw battle early in the second half despite the sloppy play from both sides. Then, around the nine-minute mark, Johnson hit his third three-pointer to put the Bobcats up by an eight point lead as they began to distance themselves from the Bulldogs.
Willhite placed himself in early foul trouble with four personal fouls and was benched until late in the second half. Willhite was not much of a factor after he re-entered the game.
James Johnson, who was supposed to be matched up with Willhite during the game, said that he doesn’t pay attention to who is supposed to guard him during games.
“It doesn’t matter who really guards me. I just try to do what coach tells me when I’m out there. I don’t like to get into the one-on-one match ups,” said Johnson.
Yale head coach James Jones was disappointed that Willhite had got himself into foul trouble.
“We have him in there for defensive purposes. Having him out of the game really hurt us,” said James.
With just over 10 minutes left in the game, Jamee Jackson (Newark, N.J.) skied through the lane to grab a rebound off a Dave Johnson (Jackson, N.J.) three-point attempt for a thunder jam that got the Quinnipiac faithful on their feet.
After that, the Bobcats never relinquished the lead, as they were able to pretty much have their way against the Bulldogs.
Coach Moore, however, still recognizes that the team still has more to accomplish moving forward after the Yale game.
“It’s ugly for us because we’re still learning,” Moore said.
The Bobcats’ next game is Saturday Nov.19 at 2 p.m. against Navy at the TD Bank Sports Center.
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Bobcats hold off Hawks at the buzzer
By: Nick Sczerbinski, QBSN Staff Writer
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| James Johnson (quinnipiacbobcats.com) |
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2010-11 Men’s Basketball Season Preview
By Matthias Gausz & Marc Schwartz, QBSN Staff Writers
NEC Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Quinnipiac Bobcats
2. Robert Morris Colonials
3. Long Island Blackbirds
4. Central Connecticut St. Blue Devils
5. Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers
6. Farleigh Dickinson Knights
7. St. Francis (NY) Terriers
8. St. Francis (PA) Red Flash
9. Sacred Heart Pioneers
10. Monmouth Hawks
11. Wagner Seahawks
12. Bryant Bulldogs
Preseason All-NEC Team
G. Karon Abraham (Robert Morris)
G. Akeem Bennet (St. Francis NY)
F. Ken Horton (Central Conn. St.)
F. Mike Scott (Farleigh Dickinson)
F. Justin Rutty (Quinnipiac)
Conference Outlook:
It will not be an easy road to their first NEC championship for the Bobcats though, as 2-time defending NEC champ Robert Morris looks to three-peat. With the loss of Mike Rice to Rutgers, new head coach Andy Toole looks to continue their winning tradition. Despite the loss of Jaytornah Wisseh, Long Island looks to be among the top teams in the NEC along with Central Connecticut State, who gets Ken Horton back on the court this year.
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| RMU Guard Karon Abraham (northjersey.com) |
Rounding out the Northeast Conference is the bottom tier of teams, which is led by an up-and-coming Wagner College team. The Seahawks had a big 2010 recruiting class led by center Naofall Falohan and Orlando Parker. Wagner College is joined by Sacred Heart, Monmouth, and Bryant. All three of those teams look to rebuild this year in an attempt to compete in years to come. Note that Bryant is not eligible for the NEC tournament
Quinnipiac Outlook:
The Bobcats last year came within two points of NEC Tournament Championship, which would have sent them to their first ever NCAA Tournament berth. Yet even with the loss at home to Robert Morris, Quinnipiac clinched the programs first ever berth in NCAA postseason play with a Northeast Conference Regular Season title. That allowed the Bobcats to be matched up with Virginia Tech in the NIT; a game they lost 81-61. Quinnipiac will look to improve on last year’s historical season this year, with possibly the most talented team QU has ever fielded.
The Bobcats lost three out of five starters, but return the defending NEC Player of the Year in Justin Rutty (left). As one of the premier big men not only in the NEC, but among all national Mid-Major conferences, Rutty will look to lead this suddenly inexperienced Bobcats team to the expectations that have been bestowed on them. He is not alone in support though, as he is joined by returning starter James Johnson (above, right), and senior Deontay Twyman. After those top three, the next three most experienced players are sophomores Dave Johnson, Jamee Jackson (below, right), and Raheem May-Thompson. Each of those players is expected to have a much larger role this year.
Overall, the Bobcats look poised for the similar success they experienced in the 2009-2010 season, and possibly add a NCAA Tournament berth as well.
Being sports enthusiasts here at QBSN we decided to come up with our own predictions of how the Northeast Conference 2010 season will turn out.
All-NEC Preseason 1st Team
G- Karon Abraham (Robert Morris)
G- Ken Horton (Central Connecticut St)
F- Akeem Bennett (St. Francis, NY)
F- Jamal Olasewere (Long Island)
F- Justin Rutty (Quinnipiac)
Final Standings:
1. Quinnipiac Bobcats, Last Year: (23-9, 15-3 NEC) 1st place
Outlook: The Bobcats only return 2 starters from last year’s team but they have the young parts to do a lot. A first trip to the dance is theirs for the taking.
Players to Watch: Justin Rutty, Sr., Forward; James Johnson, Jr., Guard; Deontay Twyman, Sr., Guard
Key Non-Conference Game: vs. Rhode Island, December 11th at 3pm
2. Long Island Blackbirds, Last Year: (14-17, 11-7 NEC) 4th place
Outlook: They return 4 starters and might have the best frontcourt in the conference. If they can find a point guard, don’t be surprised to see them dancing.
Players to Watch: Jamal Olasewere, So., Forward; C.J. Garner, Jr., Guard; Julian Boyd, So., Forward
Key Non-Conference Game: at Northwestern, December 13th at 8pm
Game vs. Quinnipiac: Home, February 5th at 4:30pm
3. Robert Morris Colonials, Last Year: (23-11, 15-3 NEC) 2nd place
Outlook: Loss of Coach Rice is huge but having the best pure scorer in the league, Abraham, helps. The supporting cast will dictate where they go, which could be far.
Players to Watch: Karon Abraham, So., Guard; Russell Johnson, So., Forward; Velton Jones, So., Guard
Key Non-Conference Game: at (4) Pittsburgh, November 23rd at 7pm
Game vs. Quinnipiac: Away, January 27th 7pm
4. Central Connecticut State Blue Devils, Last Year: (12-18, 9-9 NEC) 7th place
Outlook: Get scorer, Horton, back after missing last season with an injury. New up tempo offense and will run and score with some of the best. Dark Horse for the title.
Players to Watch: Ken Horton, Jr., Forward; Joe Efese, So., Forward; Markeys Deans, Sr., Forward
Key Non-Conference Game: at Dayton, December 7th at 7pm
Games vs. Quinnipiac: Away, January 15th at 4pm. Home, February 19th at 3:30pm
5. Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers, Last Year: (16-15, 12-6 NEC) 3rd place
Outlook: New Coach in and in the transition of becoming more offensive. Lost many pieces from teams past, very inexperienced. Yet still have Atupem.
Players to Watch: Shawn Atupem, Sr., Forward; Jean Cajou, Sr., Guard; Raven Barber, So., Forward
Key Non-Conference Game: at (23) Virginia Tech, January 2nd at 2pm
Games vs. Quinnipiac: Away, December 4th at 2pm. Home, January 22ndat 7pm
6. St. Francis (NY) Terriers, Last Year: (11-18, 8-10 NEC) 9th place
Outlook: New Coach trying to become a more offensive minded especially with Bennett. Has the pieces to do some really good things this season.
Players to Watch: Akeem Bennett, Sr., Guard; Ricky Cadell, Sr., Guard; Stefan Perunicic, Jr., Forward
Key Non-Conference Game: at South Florida, November 15th at 7pm
Game vs. Quinnipiac: Home, February 3rd at 7pm
7. St. Francis (PA) Red Flash, Last Year: (11-18, 8-10 NEC) 9th place
Outlook: Lost most of scoring but has talented Felder and other promising young players. The underclassmen are going to need to mature if they want to go places.
Players to Watch: Will Felder, So., Forward; Umar Shannon, So., Guard; Sorena Orandi, Sr., Guard
Key Non-Conference Game: at (9) North Carolina, January 2nd at 3:30pm
Game vs. Quinnipiac: Away, January 29th at 2pm
8. Fairleigh Dickinson Knights, Last Year: (11-21, 10-8 NEC) 5th place
Outlook: First full year under new coach after mid-season switch. Adapting to new system and trying to get rid of the old one. Player experience here is an upside.
Players to Watch: Mike Scott, Sr., Guard; Terrence Grier, Sr., Guard; Kamil Svrdlik, Sr., Forward
Key Non-Conference Game: at NC State, November 27th at 6pm
Games vs. Quinnipiac: Home, January 8th at 4pm. Away, February 26th 3pm
9. Wagner Seahawks, Last Year: (5-26, 3-15 NEC) 11th place
Outlook: Pick up star High School coach Dan Hurley. Picked up a great recruiting class but they need to find a leader on the floor. The future is very bright though.
Players to Watch: Chris Martin, Jr., Guard; Naofall Folahan, Fr., Center; Josh Thompson, So., Forward
Key Non-Conference Game: at St. John’s, December 1st at 7pm
Games vs. Quinnipiac: Away, January 3rd at 7pm. Home, January 20th at 7pm
10. Sacred Heart Pioneers, Last Year: (14-15, 7-11 NEC) 10th place
Outlook: Lost most of scoring from last year. Program is definitely a work in progress and in doing trying to become rougher, blue-collar like atmosphere.
Players to Watch: Jerell Thompson, Sr., Guard; Shane Gibson, So., Guard; Mehmet Sahan, Sr., Forward
Key Non-Conference Game: at Providence, December 21st at 7pm
Games vs. Quinnipiac: Away, February 9th at 7pm. Home, February 14th at 7:30pm
11. Monmouth Hawks, Last Year: (12-19, 8-10 NEC) 8th place
Outlook: Rebuilding year after star player decided to transfer. Gains some help with transfers, but won’t be eligible til 2011-12. Chance to go places, just not this year.
Players to Watch: Marcus Ware, So., Forward; Ed Waite, So., Forward; Will Campbell, Jr., Guard
Key Non-Conference Game: vs. (6) Villanova, December 22nd at 7pm
Games vs. Quinnipiac: Home, January 6th at 7pm. Away, February 24th at 7pm
12. Bryant Bulldogs, Last Year: (1-29, 1-17 NEC) 12th place
Outlook: In transition period until 2012-13 school year. Bring 8 new players as they are getting D-I talent. Still needs to get more D-I ready players. Slowly building a program.
Players to Watch: Cecil Gresham, Sr., Guard/Forward; Vlad Kondratyev, So., Forward; Raphael Jordan, So., Guard
Key Non-Conference Game: at Michigan, December 23rd at 6pm
Games vs. Quinnipiac: Away, January 13th at 7pm. Home, February 17th at 7pm
(all pictures except for Abraham photo courtesy of quinnipiacbobcats.com)
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