The Quinnipiac Bobcats men’s basketball team defeated the Saint Peter’s Peacocks by a final score of 69-64 at M&T Bank Arena on senior night. A chippy affair from the opening tip, the Bobcats and Peacocks continued their thrilling rivalry with a physical battle in Hamden.
Quinnipiac started out slow in this game, missing good opportunities and letting Saint Peter’s outwork them early on. The Peacocks pounded the paint with hard drives and tough finishes at the rim, with senior guard Marcus Randolph and sophomore guard Armoni Zeigler leading the charge.
In the second half, the Bobcats seemed to flip a switch mentally and came out with more energy. Feeding off the momentum of the crowd, Quinnipiac was able to finish in transition and stifle Saint Peter’s with their own press defense. A fast break dunk for junior forward Amarri Monroe sent the crowd into a frenzy. He had 19 points, 16 of them coming in the second half alone.
“In the second half, we were able to get into some pressure. And that full court pressure, even though it didn’t create a ton of turnovers, it changed our energy, it changed their energy,” head coach Tom Pecora said of the resurgent second half.
The second half seems to be where the Bobcats feel the most comfortable, as they have had plenty of second half comebacks during this season, at Manhattan and at Sacred Heart of recent.
“I guess we just play better when we’re down. It’s going to hurt us if we continue to do this, we have to learn to play a full 40 minutes,” Monroe said.
With Marist and Merrimack losing their matchups, Quinnipiac now has sole possession of first place in the MAAC, but it is clear to the team that they are only focused on what is in front of them.
“We’re focused on us right now.” Monroe said.
Before the game, six Quinnipiac seniors were honored at center court, including Savion Lewis, Doug Young, Quinn Guth, Richie Springs, Paul Otieno, and Alexis Reyes. They have not only impacted the program on the court, but off of it as well.
“They’re all leaders, I learned something from each of them. It’s not just on the court, but off the court as well. They helped me be the person and player I am today,” Monroe.
“So a lot of these guys had opportunities to move on after last year’s success. And they chose to stay here for a lot of all the right reasons, to get their degrees, to get master’s degrees, to finish a job that was unfinished in their eyes. So I owe a great amount to that group. And they’ll always have a place in my heart because of their work ethic and how legit they are,” Pecora said of his senior group and what they’ve meant to the program.
The Bobcats will now head to North Andover, Massachusetts to face the Merrimack Warriors on Sunday, with tip off slated for 2.p.m.
