Courtesy: QBSN
The first place Iona Gaels stormed into Hamden, Connecticut on Sunday afternoon, denying the Quinnipiac Bobcats of their fourth consecutive win. David Laury, Schadrac Casimir and AJ English paced the Gaels with 18, 16 and 15 points respectively. Quinnipiac was led by Ousmane Drame’s 16 points, 18 rebounds and four blocks, resulting in his 42nd career double-double. With the win, Iona improves to 21-6 on the season and 14-2 in the MAAC. The Bobcats fall to 14-11 overall and 8-8 in MAAC play. Here are my five takeaway’s from the game.
Iona is still Iona
The Iona Gaels always seem to find a way to win. After a gut-wrenching win at Manhattan on Friday night, the Gaels had a quick turnaround to play on the road against the best rebounding team in the conference. Despite having just one day to watch film on the Bobcats and scoring 20 points below their season average, Tim Cluess and Co. seem to squeak past the hot Bobcats. The preseason favorites have showed all season long, in or out of conference, why the MAAC is theirs.
Is Chaise Daniels the next Ousmane Drame?
Yes, it’s a stretch, but the Meriden-native certainly has the potential to put up Drame-like numbers (14.2 points per game, 10.8 rebounds per game, 2.8 blocks per game) by the time he exits Quinnipiac.
The youngster’s motor is incomparable and his offensive game is slowly beginning to develop. Sunday, the progression continued. Daniels finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and two blocks in just 23 minutes of action. After the game, Tom Moore praised the freshman by noting his daily work ethic in practice and his fearless attitude on the court. At 6-feet-8 inches and 220 pounds, the frame is established to compete on a nightly basis in the MAAC. With many of the MAAC’s best big men departing due to graduation, Daniels could emerge as the most talented power forward in the conference as early as next season.
Lack of production from Hearst
The once all-MAAC First-Team lock has definitely made things a lot harder for himself now. In the past four games, Hearst hasn’t tallied more than 13 points in an outing. Before this stretch, Hearst’s scoring average was at 20.3 points per game. Now, scoring just more than 10 points per game in the last four games has dropped his average to 18.8 points per game. Could Hearst be slacking due to the many minutes he is forced to play every game (36.8 minutes per game)? The amount of energy he needs to exert on defense when he is assigned the opposing teams’ best player?
If so, the next four games don’t get any easier, especially if they want to earn that much needed bye before Albany.
Schadrac Casimir is the MAAC Rookie of the Year
It is without a doubt that Schadrac Casimir is the best freshman in the conference. And it’s not even close. Averaging 15.4 points per game, Casimir has dominated most guards in the MAAC. He uses a quick first step along with deadly range to keep defenders guessing. Sunday, he had 11 of Iona’s first 13 points before Quinnipiac paid any attention to him. And down the stretch, like a guard should do, he converted layups and free throws to seal the win. Casimir has not missed a free throw in 2015. He is a perfect 40-for-40 form the line.
QU still fit for fifth
It was Jan. 9 when Quinnipiac traveled to Monmouth for a marquee conference matchup. Tom Moore and his team were winless in the MAAC, on the road, facing a then-4-0 Hawks squad. In just more than a month, Quinnipiac has risen from last in the conference, sported a new starting lineup, and bought in to the coaching and playing style.
Now at 8-8 and tied for the fifth and final bye, the Bobcats have four crucial games left on the regular season slate. All four games are against teams tied for sixth place or above. So, yes, although they should have won more games than eight to this point, commend a once 0-4 team for being right in the mix of things come March.
