The Quinnipiac men’s basketball team held Maine to 25.9 percent shooting from the field in the second half and used a late 10-0 run to win 75-67 Tuesday night at the TD Bank Sports Center.
It was the first time this season that the Bobcats held an opponent to under 30 percent shooting from the field for a half.
“I was obviously very pleased with our defense in the second half,” Quinnipiac head coach Tom Moore said. “I thought we had more defensive intensity, or more defensive will for an entire 20 minutes than maybe we’ve had of any 20 minutes we’ve played so far.”
Photo credit: Charlotte Greene
Junior guard James Johnson led the Bobcats with 20 points and five assists. He also grabbed seven rebounds and added two steals.
The Bobcats went on a 8-0 run to start the second half to turn a 34-39 halftime deficit into a 42-39 lead. Johnson knocked down back to back threes and added a steal during the run to help get his team back into the game.
“I wasn’t worried about offense, I was just trying to make a good stand on defense,” Johnson said. “Those were two big shots. My teammates got into it; they saw me into it, so they had no choice but to step up and play hard. It set the tone a little bit.”
Sophomore guard Dave Johnson came off the bench and chipped in 14 points, all of which came in the second half. He shot 9-for-10 from the free throw line and went 1-for-3 on three point field goals.
Senior guard Deontay Twyman had 13 points, while senior forward Justin Rutty added 12 points and eight rebounds.
“Dave Johnson was probably the fourth guy tonight,” Moore said. “I thought he was spectacular. He was really solid, he had no turnovers in 20 minutes. He was probably the fourth stabilizing option on offense.”
Maine junior guard Raheem Singleton led the Black Bears with 18 points, going 3-for-3 from beyond the arc.
The Bobcats continue their five-game homestand on Wednesday when take take on the University of Massachusetts at 7 p.m.
Photo credit: Lenny Neslin
