QU Men Fall At Bryant, 103-95

Ike Azotam led the Quinnipiac men’s basketball team with 23 points on Thursday night, but it was the Bryant Bulldogs who pulled away in the second half en route to a 103-94 victory at Chace Athletic Center in Smithfield, R.I.

With the loss, the Bobcats fall to 5-9 overall, 1-2 in the Northeast Conference, while the Bulldogs improve to 10-4 overall and remain unbeaten in NEC action (3-0). 

Both teams shot well over 50 percent from the floor, but field goals from behind the arc proved to be the difference. Bryant knocked down 12-of-19 from long-range (63.2 percent) – granting the Bulldogs a plus-25 edge for the home team. Bryant was 60.7 percent overall, with Quinnipiac pouring in 57.7 percent of its attempts.

Trailing by 12 with just under five minutes remaining in the first half, Quinnipiac sparked a 15-6 run to close out the half. Azotam connected on a fast-break layup off a feed from Kendrick Ray, leaving a 42-39 lead for Bryant at the break.

Despite the late surge, Bryant stayed hot on the offensive end and boasted an 18-6 run over a six-minute span in the second half. Bryant extended its margin to a game-high 19 at one point, a lead that the Bulldogs would not relinquish.

Azotam led the way offensively, finishing 10-of-16 from the floor with six rebounds. Jamee Jackson posted a season-high 15 points, Ray finished with a career-best 12 points and Ousmane Drame concluded players in double-figures with 10 points. Evan Conti added nine points and six rebounds in his sixth career start.

Bryant’s starters accounted for 86 of the team’s 103 points. Quinnipiac dominated the paint, 60-34, controlled the glass, 36-25, and grabbed 17 offensive rebounds which resulted in 21 second-chance points. The Bobcats garnered a 36-16 advantage in points of the bench.

Quinnipiac allowed 100 points for the first time since the 2006-07 season, when Vermont handed QU a 101-87 loss. 

Quinnipiac resumes action on Saturday, Jan. 12 against Sacred Heart. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the TD Bank Sports Center on York Hill Campus.