Photo credit: Andrew Vazzano
Student section chants of “this is our house” echoed through the TD Bank Sports Center on Thursday, as the Bobcats (20-8, 14-3 NEC) finished an undefeated season at home in an 82-63 rout of the Monmouth Hawks.
James Feldeine led Quinnipiac by compiling a triple-double with 19 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Justin Rutty was also a key contributor, earning his 26th career double-double with 25 points and 12 rebounds.
“It’s great to be undefeated at home,” Rutty said. “We know we have the fans behind us and everybody in the community behind us.”
Feldeine’s triple-double was the first time a Quinnipiac player had achieved that feat since Kason Mims did in 2004.
“This was the most mature he’s been with the ball,” Quinnipiac head coach Tom Moore said. “He really loves to score … but tonight he did a phenomenal job of balancing scoring and helping his teammates.”
Feldeine said feeding his teammates down low was a key to the historic night.
The win marked the first time Quinnipiac reached 20 wins since becoming a Division I school, and the first time the program has reached this mark since the 1979-80 season.
“I’m really proud and happy of the 20th win,” Moore said. “It’s something that’s not lost on me or the staff, or anyone in the program.”
Taylor Travis led the Hawks with 20 points, but the rest of the team did not shoot well from the floor. The Hawks shot just 37 percent from the floor and 35 percent from beyond the arc.
The Bobcats led 26-20 with 3:42 left in the first half when they went on a 13-3 run to close out the half, which concluded with a 3-pointer from way behind the arc by James Johnson with five-tenths of a second remaining to take a 39-26 lead into the locker room.
The Hawks didn’t get any closer than 12 points of tying the score in the second half.
The Bobcats shot 54 percent from the floor and 50 percent from 3-point range. But they also played an unselfish game, garnering 25 assists on 32 baskets.
“I was most pleased with how unselfish this team showed they can be,” Moore said. “They’re unselfish with their minutes, their roles, their scoring, and their shot distribution. It’s been one of the joys of coaching this group.”
The Bobcats play their final game of the regular season on Saturday when they face Fairleigh Dickinson in Hackensack, N.J. A Quinnipiac win coupled with a Robert Morris loss gives the Bobcats the top seed in the NEC Tournament, which is scheduled to begin on Thursday.
