POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – Quinnipiac took down Marist 66-55 on Friday evening behind a 20-point, 15-rebound night from sophomore forward Amarri Tice.
It was a special night for Tice beyond just the stat line. The Newburgh, New York native grew up less than 20 miles south of Marist’s McCann Arena. He said that over 50 friends and family members were in the stands to come and support him and his teammates.
“I live right down the street and so coming home, having fans in the crowd, it made it feel like a home game,” Tice said. “Uncles, friends, cousins, aunts, nieces, nephews… everybody was here.”
Tice got active early, scoring the Bobcats’ first two field goals of the game. But it was Marist who looked the most at home in the first. Carried by a 16-0 run, the Red Foxes took a 21-10 lead midway through the first. Quinnipiac battled back out of the media timeout which cut Marist’s lead to four at the half. In the quarter’s final minute, graduate guard Matt Balanc was hit with a technical while trying to call a timeout.
“We really had to make a ton of adjustments in the second half,” Quinnipiac head coach Tom Pecora said. “They had us locked down pretty good for a long stretch there.”
At the start of the second, both sides continued to trade buckets. Up 41-40, center Paul Otieno knocked the ball loose from Marist’s Jadin Collins and Savion Lewis found Tice on the breakaway. Tice threw down a thunderous jackhammer slam that sent his friends and family into a frenzy behind the Bobcats’ bench.
“Everyone in the MAAC is good… Every night we’re going to get tested,” Tice said. “There’s going to be guys on the court just as good as I am that’s going to push me and I think being under that pressure brings out my best basketball.”
Tice’s best keeps on getting better. The monster double-double was his fourth of the season and tied a career-high for rebounds. He also picked up three steals and knocked down a pair of threes.
“Amarri’s become a great leader,” Pecora said. “I’ve already talked to him about next year… two of our captains are going to move on and I expect him to step into that role.”
Balanc was a force on the offensive end as well, finishing with 16 points. Despite an off night with seven turnovers, Lewis scored 13 himself, including a pair of late jumpers to seal the deal for Quinnipiac down the stretch. Otieno also had a solid game, scoring 11 and grabbing nine rebounds. For Marist, Collins scored 13 while sophomore center Max Allen II recorded a double-double of his own.
With four straight conference wins under its belt, Quinnipiac will savor the off-week and prepare for a road contest against Siena on Jan. 19.
