Men’s Basketball: Rutty leads Bobcats in victory over Yale

Quinnipiac rode a dominant performance from Justin Rutty to a 71-64 victory over cross-town rival Yale University on Saturday night at the John J. Lee Amphitheater.

The junior forward collected his first double-double of the year with 23 points (10-for-15 from the field) and 14 rebounds, 10 of which came on the offensive end. Rutty led a strong effort from the Bobcats on the boards, as they out-rebounded the Bulldogs 53-30.

“Justin Rutty did a great job inside for us,” Quinnipiac assistant coach Scott Burrell said. “We needed big points and a big game from him and he came through both offensively and defensively. We definitely needed him to carry us.”

In what was the first meeting between the two teams since Dec. 3, 1999, the Bobcats used their rebounding advantage to generate 32 second-chance points compared to 11 for the Bulldogs.

Quinnipiac took a 6-4 lead off a Rutty put-back just over two minutes into the game and never trailed for the remainder of the contest. The Bobcats’ lead grew to nine, their largest lead of the first half, with eight minutes remaining.

Coming out of the locker room at halftime up 33-26, the Bobcats continued to pile onto their lead as it grew to 17 on a jumper from James Feldeine. The senior forward also had a strong game for Quinnipiac with 14 points.

Yale did not go away easily, as the Bulldogs cut the deficit down to four on a 3-pointer from Alex Dampier with 37 seconds remaining. But the Bobcats were perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line down the stretch to seal the victory.

To go along with Rutty and Feldeine, sophomore guard James Johnson scored 13 points and recorded a team-high four assists. Freshman forward Jamee Jackson had a career-high 10 rebounds.

The win moves Quinnipiac to 2-1 on the year while Yale drops to 1-3.

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