The Quinnipiac Bobcats men’s basketball team bounced back at M&T Bank Arena with an 89-71 victory over the Canisius Golden Griffins. After only leading by three at halftime, Quinnipiac came out firing on all cylinders, with tough finishes at the rim, timely steals and made shots from the perimeter.
“A tale of two halves again…great team effort, especially in the second half,” head coach Tom Pecora said of his team’s performance.
A feeling-out process in the early stages of the game saw Canisius stick around with the Bobcats to start. Quinnipiac junior guard Ryan Mabery knocked down a three to give the Bobcats a seven-point lead towards the end of the first half, but the Golden Griffins continued to push, creeping within striking distance at halftime.
However, the Bobcats came out of the locker room with more energy and fire, as junior forward Amarri Monroe led the charge, taking the ball hard to the basket, and getting to the line with frequency. Monroe finished the game with a career-high 29 points, along with 10 rebounds and two steals.
“I don’t really keep track of my points…I’m just playing my game. To be honest, I ask about rebounds more than I ask about how many points I have…all we care about is winning right now,” Monroe said of his new milestone.
A big key to the Bobcats’ success tonight was their defensive intensity, forcing 18 Canisius turnovers. Multiple Quinnipiac players finished with more than one steal on the evening.
“I thought our zone defense was good, it really helped break their rhythm offensively. We have a term called “turks” [referring to a turkey in bowling] for three defensive stops in a row, and today we had a good number of them,” Pecora said of the defensive effort tonight.
“We’re in the gaps every day, we work hard… I feel like it’s my job to talk to guys, to make sure we’re in gaps and we’re talking, and we’re playing team defense,” Quinnipiac senior forward Alexis Reyes said about defensive communication.
Quinnipiac freshman guard Jaden Zimmerman added 14 points of his own off the bench, including back-to-back threes in front of the Bobcats bench, with back door cutting and an athletic attempt at a poster to highlight another solid performance.
“Think about who Jaden would be if he was 6-6, 230 pounds, he’d be Amarri…If Jaden can continue to grow and be that good, that would be wonderful,” Pecora spoke of his highly touted first-year star.
About 35 minutes away in Fairfield, Connecticut, MAAC leaders Marist suffered a shock defeat on a game-winning deep heave by Fairfield junior guard Deon Perry, letting the Bobcats sit atop the MAAC.
Quinnipiac will look to continue their winning ways, hosting the Niagara Purple Eagles on Saturday. The tip-off is slated for 2:00 p.m. in Hamden.
