Every single player on the Bobcats’ roster played Wednesday as Quinnipiac cruised to a 63-52 victory over the Columbia Lions after trailing by four points at half time.
Senior guard Jeremy Baker led the comeback for the Bobcats with a very strong second half, where he scored all nine of his points.
Senior forward James Feldeine posted a team-high 14 points and was the only starter to score in double-digits. Freshman guard Dave Johnson provided a push off the bench with 10 points. Despite the low offensive output, the Bobcats’ defense held the Lions to 36.2 percent shooting from the field.
The Bobcats had 19 turnovers, but made up for it with 15 assists and 11 steals, including three from sophomore guard James Johnson. Johnson also had his second straight game of at least five assists, finishing with six.
Junior forward Justin Rutty had his third straight double-digit rebound game of the year, snatching 14 rebounds, but only scoring eight points on 4-for-10 shooting. Rutty’s boards led the Bobcats to out-rebound the Lions 42-33, continuing their streak of out-rebounding their opponents in all 10 games this year.
Freshman forward Jamee Jackson was also a main contributor in rebounds with eight, scored seven points and blocked two shots, but showed his inexperience with five turnovers and four fouls in 18 minutes.
The win puts the Bobcats at a 5-5 record for the season, second only to the Sacred Heart Pioneers in the Northeast Conference. The Pioneers (7-4) are the only team in the NEC with a record above .500.
Quinnipiac will face the Dartmouth Big Green (2-9) on Dec. 30 in its last game before conference play begins. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. at the TD Bank Sports Center.