The Quinnipiac men’s basketball team returned home to M&T Bank arena on Sunday afternoon for the first time since November 15th, defeating the Sacred Heart Pioneers 83-73.
Coming into this matchup having lost three out of five games on their road trip, the message was clear for head coach Tom Pecora to his team as they played their first MAAC home game.
“Let them know that we’re still here and we’re still the returning champs,” Pecora said.
In the first half, the Pioneers looked to break out of a back-and-forth game when junior guard Griffin Barrouk hit a deep three in the face of Quinnipiac junior forward Amari Monroe to give his squad a 30-23 lead.
Barrouk didn’t shy away from making sure Monroe acknowledged him as he made his way back on defense.
Monroe attempted a fast break slam on the next possession, but Barrouk was there for an emphatic block, receiving a personal foul for his celebration afterwards.
The rising tensions seemed to favor the Bobcats, firing back with seven unanswered points to knot the game at 30-30.
“When you start talking and you can’t back it up, there’s really no point in talking,” Monroe said of the Pioneers’ words on the court. “I just let my game show that I can do it, and I think I did that.”
In the dying seconds of the half, Monroe had a three point attempt blocked, but got it right back and drilled a mid-range jumper as the buzzer sounded to give the Bobcats a 42-39 lead at the break.
The Bobcats continued to maintain their lead into the first few minutes of the second half, highlighted by an assertive jam from Monroe off a great no-look feed by senior forward Alexis Reyes.
Monroe notched 19 points and four assists on the afternoon, but the defensive side of the ball is where he truly shined.
No. 2 had a career-high eight steals, tying a Quinnipiac program record set in 2002 by Jeremy Bishop.
“Just digging down on defense and helping my team win,” Monroe said on his intentions defensively.
Closing out games had been a thorn in the Bobcat’s side this season, but this time they flipped the narrative, never trailing in the second half.
Leading the scoring, sophomore guard Khaden Bennet dropped a career-high 23 points in the Bobcats’ victory over the Pioneers.
“I think any one of us on the team have the ability to go off any night,” Bennet said. “It was my moment tonight, I just took the opportunity.”
In addition to player accolades, 83 points is the most Quinnipiac has scored as a team this season.
The Bobcats will look to continue their momentum into a nine-day break, facing Holy Cross at home in their next game on December 17th.
