Photo courtesy: Quinnipiac Athletics
Quinnipiac improved to 5-5 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play Friday night with a very important win over Manhattan on national television. Both teams had shooting woes, but in the end, it was the experienced Quinnipiac players that had been in situations like this before that put the Bobcats over the top. After starting 0-4 in conference play, the Bobcats have finally hit their stride, winning five of their last six games. That being said, here are my five takeaways from Friday’s game.
Everything runs through the Quinnipiac seniors
And I mean, everything runs through the Quinnipiac seniors. The final 10 minutes of the game Friday were completely taken over by Tom Moore’s most experienced players.
To put it in perspective, Quinnipiac scored 36 points in the final 13 minutes. Of those 36, 29 points came from the seniors. Twenty-nine of the 43 Quinnipiac rebounds came from a Bobcat senior, and just five of the 16 QU turnovers were committed by senior. The most overlooked stat of the night? Zaid Hearst and Ousmane Drame combined for just one turnover.
When your best two players do that, it’s hard to lose. The seniors came up huge down the stretch after it was the younger guys like Chaise Daniels who gave the team energy in the first half. This Quinnipiac bunch looked like a unit on both sides of the ball Friday night. No one wants to play these guys right now, and it’s because of the seniors.
Ousmane Drame shouldn’t start the rest of the season
I know what you’re saying, “but he’s playing so well!” Yes I realize that, but he’s playing so well because he’s coming off the bench!
Drame finished Friday night’s game with 12 points and a season-high 19 rebounds against a tough frontcourt in Emmy Andujar and Ashton Pankey. Since being put on the pine on Jan. 6 against Iona, Drame has been great. His last six games have been extremely impressive, and I’m sure the San Antonio Spurs and Utah Jazz scouts, who were in attendance, liked what they saw. Quinnipiac is 5-1 in its last six games, and it’s because of Drame. The senior is averaging just south of 16 points per game, to go with 12.8 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game in 30 minutes.
The most important stats during that stretch? Drame is shooting 53 percent from the field, 81 percent from the line and committed just nine total turnovers. Drame had been getting off to rough starts in games, and now that he is coming off the pine the senior might be a little more comfortable. If Tom Moore is wise, Ousmane Drame will not start another game this season.
Evan Conti is the straw that stirs the drink
When people talk about Quinnipiac basketball, they talk about Zaid Hearst and how he’s one of the best players in the MAAC. They talk about Ousmane Drame’s health and his reported laziness. They talk about Gio McLean being ineligible. They certainly don’t talk about Evan Conti, but they should.
The senior out of Bayside, New York is in my opinion the most important player on the team. When Conti scores in double figures, Quinnipiac is 6-1. Nine points or less? The Bobcats are 5-7. With the great performance by Hearst and Drame, some might overlook what Conti did Friday, as he was by far the most efficient player on the court.
In 18 minutes, Conti had 11 points, four rebounds, two assists and shot two-for-three from the field and five-for-five from the charity stripe. Conti gets the crowd going with his transition 3-pointers and signature spin move. He is way more important than you think. The experience, the leadership and the ability to make a big impact while only attempting three field goals is why he is so important.
Zaid Hearst is currently the MAAC player of the Year
There is no question in my mind Hearst is the MAAC Player of the Year right now. His ability to score, make plays for himself, rebound, shoot efficiently, defend and almost never come out of the game makes him the best player in the conference. The captain is third in the MAAC in scoring at just more than 20 points per game. He is also the only player in the MAAC that is in the top 10 in scoring, rebounding (10th), field goal percentage (ninth), free-throw percentage (fifth) and minutes played (second).
The definition of a workhorse who puts in 100 percent everyday and understands that the amount of college basketball games he has left is small. Hearst has played all but three minutes in Quinnipiac’s last four games and is still able to produce on both sides of the ball. Holding Shane Richards to 0-for-11 from the field is unbelievable. If a player is able to hold an opponent of Richards’ caliber to five or seven points, that is impressive. But to hold him to a goose egg? Eye-popping. Try and find someone in the MAAC who does what Zaid Hearst does, because I can’t.
This was a huge win with a tough three-game stretch looming
There are absolutely no givens in MAAC basketball. No “gimme” games. Every team has the ability to beat any other team in the conference. There is a lot of parity, due to the fact that it is a down year for the MAAC. That being said, the difference between 5-5 and 4-6 is huge. With the win Friday, Quinnipiac gets to .500 in MAAC play for the first time this year, and the Bobcats don’t play again until next Friday against Canisius in Buffalo. Two days later Moore’s squad takes on a battle tested Niagara team. Umar Shannon, anyone? That trip is never easy, and once Quinnipiac comes back it gets to face Monmouth at the TD Bank Sports Center.
Three games that you could see Quinnipiac winning, and three games you could see it losing. No where to hide for the Bobcats, who get a few well-deserved days off before Canisius.
