The friendly confines of Lender Court has been very kind to the Quinnipiac Bobcats men’s basketball team to start this season; that is until the University at Albany came to Hamden. The Great Danes came in to the matchup against the Bobcats Tuesday night with lots of experience and a plethora of veteran experience. Quinnipiac has dominated the all-time series against Albany 9-2. This season was a different story, as the Bobcats fell to the Great Danes 58-54.

The Great Danes starting lineup consisted of four upperclassmen, including three seniors each of whom played for the team last season when the Great Danes won the America East Conference receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Albany has won the America East Conference Tournament in each of the last three seasons. Its winning pedigree paid dividends against a youthful Quinnipiac squad.

“We have a ton of respect for them, and how well coached they are, and their success, and what they’ve done in the American East Tournament especially the last three years,” Quinnipiac head coach Tom Moore said. “They play like a really settled veteran team.”

The first half saw both teams struggle shooting from the field with Quinnipiac shooting just 30.8 percent (12-39) and Albany 23.1 percent(6-26). The Great Danes were able to stay in the game due to 11 Bobcat personal fouls. The Great Danes converted on 10 of 12 free throws.

The Great Danes also showed many different defensive strategies that kept Bobcat shooters guessing all night, and it showed as the Bobcats shot 3-for-21 from beyond the arc all game.

“I thought Will [Brown] did a great job changing up defenses,” Moore said. “It put a huge seed of doubt in our play calling and our perimeter guys’ decision making when you aren’t sure what you are seeing every trip down.”

With sophomore forward Chaise Daniels in early foul trouble and the Bobcats trailing in the first half, Abdulai Bundu was just what the Bobcats needed off the bench. Bundu, who finished the half with five points and four rebounds, propelled the Bobcats to a 26-23 lead going in to the locker room. Senior guard Giovanni McLean added in 10 points of his own for Quinnipiac.

“[Bundu] came in and gave us really good minutes, a real spark,” Moore said. “He’s such an energy guy.”

The second half was a completely different story for the Bobcats as they were unable to carry the late first half momentum with them in to the second half. McLean and fellow senior James Ford, Jr. only tallied a total two points in the second half. With McLean playing in just his fifth game with Quinnipiac after being ineligible last season, Moore says he is still trying to get his stamina back to where it needs to be.

“I do think fatigue is an issue with him [McLean],” Moore said. “The cardio still has to be built up. He played 29 minutes tonight, and I think right now he is probably at 26 or 25 minutes a game. We have to find less long stretches for him to play so he will be a little fresher later in the game.”

Junior college transfer Daniel Harris continued to show improvements as he led the Bobcats in the second half with 17 of his 19 points coming in the second half. Harris continues to improve in all aspects as he finished the night with 19 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and not a single turnover in 33 minutes. Despite playing well, the stats don’t mean as much to Harris as getting a win does.

“I would rather come out with a ‘W’. It’s a team game,” Harris said about scoring 17 second half points. “If I have 17, I would rather have two points and come out with a ‘W’.”

Stingy Albany defense, timely scoring, and clutch free throw shooting allowed the Great Danes to come away with this victory. In the end the experience proved to be too much for the youthful, rather inexperienced Quinnipiac squad.

The Bobcats will be back in action this weekend when they travel to Buffalo, New York for their first conference matchups of the season against Niagara and Canisius on Friday and Saturday respectively.