When he initially committed to Quinnipiac 12 months ago, then assistant, now head coach Tom Pecora knew the program was getting a guy in Rihards Vavers who could knock down shots, but did he expect this?
“He surprised us all. We knew he was an exceptional shooter, but his IQ has been great and his toughness is at a higher level than I thought it would be,” Pecora said.
In just his second college game, the redshirt freshman Vavers scored 18 points off the bench and was one of three Bobcats in double figures as Quinnipiac defeated Central Connecticut State 74-70 on Friday afternoon in Hamden.
Vavers suffered a broken nose in practice earlier this season and has been wearing a protective mask on his face ever since, joking “He’s been getting hit in the face a lot.” The mask hasn’t affected his shot, as he’s shooting 11-14 from the field through two games and 7-9 from three.
After blowing out Division III Coast Guard in the season opener, the Bobcats took care of business against the Blue Devils to move to 2-0 on the young season.
Graduate student guard Matt Balanc led the team with 22 points on 8-16 shooting. The team was solid from the field as a group, shooting 48%.
The game started out sloppy for both sides and the score was tied at 11 at the first media timeout. The Blue Devils scored a quick five points to take the lead, but a 13-0 run by the Bobcats put them in the lead for good.
With senior forward Paul Otieno in foul trouble early in the first half, the door was opened for graduate student forward Richie Springs to play significant minutes. Springs finished with a double-double, 13 points and 10 rebounds, the first of his collegiate career.
“My mindset coming into the game was to try and play as hard as I can,” Springs said. “Before the game coach (Pecora) told us to dominate everything you do.”
The three pointers were dropping all afternoon for Quinnipiac as the team connected on 10 triples, with Balanc making four, Vavers four and junior forward Alexis Reyes two.
Graduate student guard Savion Lewis did what he does best: distribute the basketball. He finished with a career high 11 assists, finding open teammates all game.
He’s always looking for me, the split second I’m open he finds me,” Vavers said of his point guard. “Not only for me, but Matt (Balanc) had a great game too.”
Lewis had some key turnovers late in the game that kept Central Connecticut afloat, something that Coach Pecora highlighted that needed work.
“When you have a veteran guard you don’t worry about that kind of stuff,” Pecora said about Lewis. “He had probably three of his turnovers in the last four minutes. That’s crunch time. That’s when guards dominate games and you can win when you have good guards.”
The team goal for Quinnipiac for turnovers committed in a game is 13 or less, according to Pecora. The Bobcats committed a season high 18.
The Blue Devils never gave up despite going down. Three players finished in double figures, led by graduate student forward Allan Jeanne-Rose’s 18 points.
“They (Central Connecticut State) are a good team, they’re a veteran team, I was very concerned coming in,” Pecora said. “I thought their bench stepped up and played well.”
The Bobcat lead shrank to just four around the five minute mark and both sides traded baskets a majority of the half up until that point.
With less than 20 seconds left in a two point game, a clutch defensive stop by Quinnipiac forced the Blue Devils to foul and Balanc sank two free throws to go up four. On the other end, Lewis drew a charge with five seconds left to ice the game.
The Bobcats are back in action on Monday at 7 p.m. when they travel north to Amherst to take on the UMass Minutemen at the Mullins Center.
