QU Men's Basketball Edged By Mount St. Mary's

Ousmane Drame was one point shy of a 20-point, 20-rebound performance on Thursday night, but the Quinnipiac University men’s basketball team’s late rally came up just short and left the Bobcats on the wrong side of a 77-73 decision at Mount St. Mary’s.

With the loss, Quinnipiac falls to 8-13 overall and 4-5 in the Northeast Conference, while the Mountaineers improve to 8-12, 3-6 in league play.  

Drame went 7-of-11 from the floor and 5-of-8 from the free-throw line for his game-high 19 points. On the glass, he grabbed 13 rebounds in the first half, 20 for the game, and finished with nine on the offensive end. It marked the most rebounds in a game since Victor Akinyanju hauled in 21 against the Mount back in 2007 and the first player to record 20 rebounds off-the-bench in the Division I era.

Trailing by five points with 17 seconds left, Dave Johnson came around a screen from the left wing and drained a deep three-pointer to make it a two-point game. Quinnipiac forced a turnover on the ensuing Mount possession, leaving the Bobcats with the ball with 12 seconds remaining. Quinnipiac cut the deficit to just one after a free-throw from Ike Azotam but the Mountaineers sealed the victory with free-throws in the waning seconds.

Quinnipiac struggled mightily with Mount St. Mary’s high pressured defense early on, amassing an eight-point deficit at the break. For the game, Quinnipiac compiled 19 turnovers which resulted in 25 points on the other end for the Mountaineers. The Bobcats also connected on just 16-of-32 from the free-throw line – nine fewer than MSM’s 25-of-36 showing. 

The Bobcats dominated the glass, 50-26, for a plus-24 margin. Quinnipiac ripped down 19 rebounds for 14 second chance points on the offensive end and mustered a 42-30 advantage in the paint. 

Drame was joined by three other Bobcats in double-figures. Zaid Hearst finished with 16 points, 10 coming in the second half, to go along with five rebounds and four assists. Johnson chipped in with 12 points and Evan Conti added 11 points and four rebounds. Jamee Jackson finished with seven points and eight rebounds and Azotam had five points and two rebounds in limited minutes due to foul trouble. 

Shivaughn Wiggins led the Mount with 17 points including a 10-of-11 performance from the charity stripe. Rashad Whack and Julian Norfleet each finished with 13 and San Prescott had 11. 

Quinnipiac fell to 13-14 in the all-time series with Mount St. Mary’s and is just 3-10 when playing away from home. The Bobcats haven’t won in Emmitsburg since the 2005 campaign when they defeated the Mountaineers, 84-74, at Knott Arena.  

The Bobcats resume NEC action at Wagner on Saturday, Feb. 2. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. at the Spiro Sports Center in Staten Island, N.Y.

Fans interested in purchasing season tickets for the 2012-13 campaign can call the QU Ticket Office at 203-582-3905, visit the official website of Quinnipiac athletics, www.QuinnipiacBobcats.com or make a trip to the TD Bank Sports Center Ticket Office. 

Please refer to the Official Website of Quinnipiac Athletics,  www.QuinnipiacBobcats.com, for any schedule changes as well as the latest news, scores and highlights. The 2012-13 Men's Basketball Schedule is also available for download at www.QuinnipiacBobcats.com for all mobile devices, including iPhones and iPads, as well as all desktop computers.