Victory over Bobcats is full of fouls, free throws American survived a seesaw second half and a foul-plagued contest that saw 58 fouls and 80 free throw attempts, edging Quinnipiac 74-73 for its third straight win.
Blake Jolivette clinched the game for the Eagles (3-2) in front of a small crowd at Bender Arena, hitting one of two free throws with 7.9 seconds remaining after a second half in which the lead changed hands 14 times.
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AU senior guard Charles Hinkle put Jolivette in position to close out the contest by scoring seven straight points and pushing his career high to 31 points with a 3-pointer for a 73-72 lead with 41.1 seconds left. Hinkle was the only AU player to score in double figures — he converted 15 of 19 attempts from the line — but six different Eagles had at least six points.
Ike Azotam had 20 points and 15 rebounds and Nate Gause scored 14 points for the Bobcats (2-2), who relinquished a six-point halftime lead shortly into the second half. But neither team led by more than three points after Hinkle’s 3-pointer cut Quinnipiac’s lead to 37-36.
A timeout a little more than two minutes into the game by fired-up Eagles coach Jeff Jones had the desired effect, with John Schoof (nine points) knocking down a baseline 3 for AU’s first points after Quinnipiac opened with a 7-0 run. Hinkle added a pair of free throws and another 3-pointer to trim the visitors’ advantage to 9-8.
The Eagles only managed to stay competitive in the first half by converting 19 of 27 free throw attempts to counterbalance struggles from the field, where they missed 15 of 20 shots.
A much-need jolt of energy for AU was delivered from reserve senior guard Simon McCormack, who scored on a pair of running one-handed layups, his second and third field goals of the year, to cut a six-point lead for the Bobcats to two. McCormack also gave the Eagles their first lead at 29-28 with a pair of free throws.
But the advantage was short-lived as Quinnipiac closed the half with a 9-2 run started by Jamee Jackson’s three-point play, giving the Bobcats a 37-31 lead at the break.
