BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Umar Shannon tied a season high with 26 points and Ousmane Drame had 14 points and 13 rebounds as Quinnipiac defeated Canisius 88-81 Thursday night.

Evan Conti hit a 3-pointer to give Quinnipiac a 15-12 lead at 12:53 to play in the first half and the Bobcats led the rest of the way. The win puts Quinnipiac in a two-way tie with Manhattan for second place and a game and a half back of Iona for the top spot in the conference.

Zaid Hearst made 17 of 18 free throws and finished with 21 points and five assists for Quinnipiac (18-8, 13-4 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference), which has a six-game winning streak.

Billy Baron scored 31 points and dished out six assists to lead Canisius (18-10, 12-5). Chris Manhertz and Chris Perez both added 14 points for the Golden Griffins.