Through two games against Division I opponents, the defense from the Quinnipiac men’s basketball team had been lackluster, at best. The Bobcats allowed 88 points in an opening night loss at Yale, and then went on to allow 96 on the road against St. John’s. It was evident to head coach Tom Pecora that something needed to change.
“Some of the guys have to execute the game plan on defense better for us,” Pecora said. “We need to work on that.”
Signs of improvement were evident in Quinnipiac’s 58-55 win on Friday night against Maine, at least in the first 36 minutes. The Bobcats forced 17 Black Bear turnovers and had 13 steals, both season highs.
“I think we’re dialed in on defense,” junior forward Amarri Monroe said. “That’s where we need to be our best at and it allows us to run in transition.”
Monroe went down in the second half on Saturday with a back injury and his status was up in the air for the Maine game. He suited up and delivered his second 20+ point performance of the season with 21 points and seven rebounds, despite some second half foul trouble.
“I felt the energy all day,” Monroe said. “I was a little aggravated with the foul trouble.”
On the defensive side, Monroe had four steals and a block, once again acting as the anchor on defense for Pecora’s squad.
“We need him on the floor,” Pecora said. “To put up 21 and 7 in just 20 minutes makes you wonder what he can do in 30 (minutes).”
Senior forward Alexis Reyes was stellar defensively as well with a career high tying four steals and was involved at the top of the key on many of the traps that flustered the Black Bears early on in the game. He also added eight points and five rebounds.
“He’s a glue guy man. At the end of the night, he may not have the most points or rebounds, but he’s going to have his hands on the basketball,” Pecora said.
While the defense was stellar, it took the Bobcats a while to get into a groove offensively. A second half outburst from freshman guard Jaden Zimmerman helped increase the lead after it was within a couple of possessions for a majority of the night.
Zimmerman and fellow freshman forward Grant Randall were key cogs in the victory, as Zimmerman scored 12 points and had a monster block that ended up in the stands, while Randall scored five points courtesy of his first triple as a Bobcat and a ferocious baseline jam.
For Zimmerman, it was the third consecutive game he’s scored double figures off the bench. As for Randall, his three from the left wing snapped an 0-9 streak from distance to start his career.
“His maturity is beyond his years,” Pecora said of Zimmerman. “He can make just about every play on the floor. Like all freshmen, we’re still working on his defensive concepts.”
“They trust me,” Zimmerman said. “They trust me to make big plays and be out there with the starters.”
The Black Bears never gave in despite going down by 15 points, as a 14-0 run made things quite interesting near the end. The 56-41 lead was 56-55 in the blink of an eye. Graduate student guard Savion Lewis scored a clutch bucket with less than 30 seconds left to push the lead back to three.
“The veterans mean everything,” Zimmerman said. “They’re always talking to us both on and off the court.”
Maine had two good looks to tie the game on the final possession, but ultimately couldn’t convert and the Bobcats survived for a victory that was probably harder than it should have been.
“We’re a veteran team,” Pecora said. “Some things we need to work on in that regard. We didn’t have any issues with anyone’s pressure until a few mishaps late.”
The Bobcats are back in action on Tuesday when they travel down to Annapolis to take on Navy in another non-conference matchup. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. from Alumni Hall.
