EMMITSBURG, Md. -- Fourth-seeded Mount St. Mary's used an early 17-0 run to take control and a 13-0 run just after halftime to pull away and defeat fifth-seeded Quinnipiac 80-70 in a Northeast Conference Tournament quarterfinal game Thursday night.
Freshman guard Jean Cajou came off the bench to lead the Mount with 20 points while sophomore point guard Jeremy Goode had 15 points and five assists and reserve swingman Kelly Beidler had 15 points and eight rebounds.
Quinnipiac senior DeMario Anderson, the NEC's leading scorer on the season at 21.7 points per game and a first-team all-conference selection, finished with a game-high 21 points to go with seven rebounds and five assists. Casey Cosgrove added 12 points and James Feldeine contributed 11 points and eight boards.
The Mountaineers (16-14) led only 39-37 after Feldeine's breakaway dunk with 17:55 remaining in the game. But the Bobcats (15-15) then went more than seven minutes without scoring.
Beidler started the decisive run with a 3-pointer from the right wing and then scored on a follow. Cajou's 3-point play got the lead back to double-digits, Goode converted a pair of free throws, and Sam Atupem converted a 3-point play to make it 52-37 with 11:43 and cap the 13-0 run.
It was similar to what the Mountaineers did early in the first half. After falling behind 10-5 after four minutes, they reeled off the next 17 points over the next 4:22 as Cajou entered the game and hit a pair of 3-pointers sandwiched around a Goode 3-pointer to get the run started.
When Chris Vann hit a layup to finish the run, the Mount led 22-10. The Bobcats used a quick 14-4 spurt of their own to get back within two points, but never pulled even again, trailing 37-33 at halftime.
With the victory, MSM's first home NEC Tournament win since 1996, the Mount clinched its first winning season since 1996-97.
Mount St. Mary's will play Robert Morris in the semifinals on Sunday.
