Quinnipiac men’s basketball faced the Fairfield Stags in an intense game that went the distance to decide the winner. Coming into today’s game, the Bobcats were 8-16 overall and 5-10 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
Within the opening minutes, Quinnipiac forward Chaise Daniels proved to be a dominant force as he went 6-9 from the field, banking 12 points for the Bobcats in the first half. Daniels eventually finished with a career-high 28 points in the contest.
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Fairfield displayed a lot of resilience and they gave the Bobcats a difficult time throughout the game. With three minutes left in the first half, the Stags go on a 10-0 run to end the first half leading 38-34.
“We lacked confidence throughout the first half and was overall horrible on both ends,” Quinnipiac head coach Tom Moore said.”We had a lead and let it slip to end up going down by four at the half.”
In the second half, the Bobcats buckled down on both sides of their game, as the team was able to match the Stags intensity. Quinnipiac displayed a lot of physicality in attempt to gain possession loose balls and on the boards.
“We are a scrappy team that has to earn every basket,” Daniels said. “This is not the first game where we’ve had to dig and be aggressive at every moment.”
With the clock winding down in regulation and the Bobcats down three with the ball, Quinnipiac guard Daniel Harris got fouled while attempting a three-pointer. Harris was able to knock down all three free throws to knot the game at 70 apiece.
Unfortunately the Bobcats could not maintain momentum, as they fell 84-80 in double overtime.
“When playing in a double overtime game, you experience fatigue,” Harris said. “But you ultimately can not make excuses, and we did not get in the win today.”
Quinnipiac will be back on the court on Monday, Feb. 15, when they travel to take on Iona. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.