Men's Basketball Rallies Past Quinnipiac, 76-72

(boxscore)

2/12/05 -- Sophomore Aubin Scott (Hempstead, N.Y.) notched his second career double-double, scoring 10 points and adding 15 rebounds as Long Island University rallied for a 76-72 Northeast Conference victory over Quinnipiac at Schwartz Athletic Center. Scott is the first LIU player to notch 15 or more rebounds in a single game since Karim Smith accomplished the same feat on Feb. 10, 2001.

Sophomore James Williams (DeSoto, Texas) recorded a team-best 23 points, 17 of those coming in the second half. Williams set career highs by shooting 16-for-18 from the free throw line. Coincidently, his previous highs from the charity stripe (12-for-14) came in the earlier meeting with Quinnipiac on Jan. 29.

Freshman Kellen Allen (Mansfield, Texas) added 13 points and senior Derek Bell (Brooklyn, N.Y.) netted 12 for the Blackbirds (10-13, 7-7 NEC). The Blackbirds’ seven NEC victories match their league win total from the 2002-03 campaign, head coach Jim Ferry’s first season.

Senior guard Rob Monroe tallied 34 points, 20 coming in the first half, for the Bobcats (9-13, 5-8). Junior Kevin Jolley registered 11 points and 10 rebounds, his sixth double-double of the season.

Tied at 11, Quinnipiac erupted on a 17-0 tear to open a 28-11 lead capped by Monroe’s baseline floater at the 7:52 mark. Monroe poured in seven points during the run.

The Bobcats led 33-13, their largest lead, on three free throws from Monroe with 5:14 remaining in the half. LIU responded with a 13-5 spurt to close to 38-26 at intermission. Williams and Scott combined for nine points during that stretch.

The Blackbirds scored the first 10 points of the second half and pulled to 38-36 on Allen’s layup with 15:03 remaining. Allen scored six of the Blackbirds’ first 12 points of the stanza. The Bobcats, meanwhile, missed their first 11 field goal attempts of the second half.

LIU tied the contest at 48-48 on Willliams’ runner in the paint with 8:46 showing. C.J. Vick hit the second of two free throw attempts on the next possession to give the Bobcats their final lead, 49-48.

A 3-point play by Bell on the ensuing possession gave the Blackbirds a 51-49 advantage, their first lead since the 16-minute mark of the first half. LIU ballooned its lead to nine three times in the final two minutes, lastly on a Bell layup for a 67-59 cushion with 1:31 remaining.

The Bobcats would not go away quietly as Monroe single-handedly kept his squad in the game. The Bobcats were forced to foul with Meekins and Randy Jones each converting from the stripe over the final 14 seconds to close the scoring.

LIU which gained a 48-32 advantage on the boards, marking the second time all season it outrebounded a team in back-to-back contests. In addition to Scott’s 15 rebounds, Bell grabbed seven and Meekins added five.

The Bobcats shot 15-of-30 (50 percent) from the field in the first stanza but were just 7-of-29 (24.1 percent) in the second half. LIU went 15-of-28 (53.6 percent) from the floor in the second half, 41.1 percent overall.

LIU hosts St. Francis (PA) on Thursday, February 17, beginning at 7:00 pm.