By Morey Hershgordon

The Quinnipiac men’s basketball team defeated the Niagara Purple Eagles 89-80 in their first MAAC tournament contest on Saturday March 8th. They now have clinched a spot in the semifinals.

The Bobcats started off the game very slow. Despite trailing 23-13 midway through the half, the Bobcats showed why they deserve the three seed.

Poise and confidence was exuded and Quinnipiac stuck to their game plan.

“These guys are older, they listen very well, and they get invested in the scouting report. They really try to do what we tell them,” said Tom Moore.

Antoine Mason, the second leading scorer in the nation, did all he could to keep his team in the game. Although Mason finished with 28 points, one could say it was a quiet 28. He never established a rhythm, shooting 9 for 22 from the field including 1 for 5 from beyond the arc.

For the Bobcats, their scoring was evenly distributed among their five starters who each tallied at least 12 points. Most notably was senior guard Shaq Shannon, who recorded a career high 20 points, including four three pointers. Ousmane Drame had 15 points and 16 rebounds. His counterpart Ike Azotam notched 18 points to go along with six rebounds. Tom Moore was very pleased with the way his front court played.

“Ike and Ousmane, inside can sometimes be too much when they’re playing low and balanced and with an edge.”

The Bobcats will face a talented opponent in Manhattan on Sunday night. If the Bobcats are able to follow up their 89 point performance with a solid game on both sides of the court, they should be able to pull out a victory over the Jaspers for the third time this season. However, they are without 5th year Guard Umar Shannon who is out indefinitely with a torn meniscus.

Tip time is set for 7 p.m. The game will be aired live on ESPN3.

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