On Sunday afternoon, the Quinnipiac men’s basketball team beat the visiting Rider Broncos 72-58. Four Bobcats reached double-digit point totals, as the Quinnipiac offense remained in control through virtually the entire game.
Senior guard Asim Jones began the scoring with a three-pointer, but neither team would add to the early bucket over the first two minutes and change. Sophomore guard Jaden Zimmerman picked up two blocks on the first few Rider possessions and added a two-point shot on the other end. Just over three minutes in, Rider called their first time out in the midst of a 12-0 Quinnipiac run to open the afternoon.
Senior forward Amarri Monroe added five points across back-to-back possessions to reach the 12-0 mark, but Rider eventually ended their scoring drought just over five minutes in with a bucket from junior guard Antwan Wilson.
Quinnipiac sophomore forward Spence Wewe kept busy under the rim, recording five rebounds in just the first seven minutes. A layup in transition brought Wewe’s early point total to six across the same span.
Postgame, Coach Tom Pecora emphasized the importance of the rebounds, which set up Quinnipiac’s points in transition. “You gotta defend and rebound to run. Everybody wants to run but you can’t run on makes,” said Pecora. “Teams that run are great defensive teams.”
In addition to Wewe’s five early rebounds, Amarri Monroe would finish the game with ten of his own, recording a double-double in the process.
Rider’s offense started to come to life in the middle of the first half, as first-year guard AB Coulibaly answered with buckets on three straight possessions for Rider, including two impressive fadeaways.
Quinnipiac had a response of its own, as Zimmerman’s vicious two-hand jam and a layup by first-year guard Tai Turnage propelled Quinnipiac to a 19-point lead. First-year forward Keith McNight answered a Rider bucket with a three-pointer of his own, maintaining the commanding Bobcat lead.
Sophomore forward Cole McCabe capped off what was arguably Rider’s best defensive stand of the first half with a powerful block on a Jones layup attempt.
Following a Wewe steal, Zimmerman once more slammed home a dunk on the other end, this time putting Quinnipiac in front by a first-half high of 20 points. Points off turnovers would prove to be a key throughout the game, as Quinnipiac finished the first half up 11-0 in the category, even while committing six turnovers themselves compared to Rider’s nine.
“When you get 13 to one out of your point guard position, that’s a pretty damn good turnover ratio,” said Pecora, referencing Quinnipiac’s capitalization on turnovers and lack of their own. “I’m happy that we only had eight turnovers for the game, whereas they had 13.”
Desperate for momentum going into the break, sophomore guard Flash Burton made a Bobcat go flying and nailed a two-point jumper through contact to abbreviate the deficit to 18. Five different Bobcats recorded six or more points in the first half, and seven recorded multiple rebounds, showcasing Quinnipiac’s balanced attack.
Junior guard Caleb Smith continued the Rider momentum into the second half with a two-point jumper. Redshirt senior forward Shemani Fuller complemented Smith with a layup of his own. Both teams picked up the offensive intensity to begin the second half compared to the start of the game, combining for ten points within the first three minutes.
The Bobcat defense continued to work with frustrating efficiency following the first two Rider scores of the half, forcing a Broncs timeout. Coming out of the timeout, Rider found new energy with shots made from both Wilson and Burton. Rider’s defense also held Quinnipiac to its longest field goal drought of the day, lasting three minutes.
Jaden Zimmerman brought the drought to an end with a three, but Rider’s Wilson had a response of his own, nailing back-to-back three-pointers. Coulibaly hit one of his own, marking three straight possessions with a three for the Broncs. With that, Rider had brought the deficit to ten, the smallest margin since the Bobcat scoring run which opened the day.
This sudden positive change for the Broncs can be credited to their impressive zone defense, which brought about adjustments from the Bobcats. “They had a weird-looking zone. We also pulled back a little bit not knowing if we should be as aggressive,” said Monroe postgame.
Jones missed the front end of a one-and-one from the line, and first-year guard Kristupas Kepežinskas capitalized on the opportunity, hitting a three and becoming the ninth different Bronc to score a point. Coulibaly continued his excellent day, adding a layup to the mix for his 17th point.
With the shot clock winding down, Turnage made a diving layup that seemed to bring life back to M&T Bank Arena. A Monroe putback and layup on back-to-back possessions pushed Quinnipiac back to a 14-point lead.
If it hadn’t already, all the momentum swung back in favor of the Bobcats, as Monroe’s dunk and-one brought the home crowd to their feet. Zimmerman owes rent to whoever owns the rim, as he added an even louder exclamation point with his third dunk. Following a Grant Randall dunk, Quinnipiac brought its lead back up to 20.
“I feel like nobody can stop me when going downhill. When I get the ball in transition, my eyes are just on the basket,” said Zimmerman postgame. Zimmerman echoed Coach Pecora on the importance of strong defense leading to points in transition.
Rider ended the day on a high note, as Coulibaly and Wilson connected on three pointers in consecutive possessions. However, it would be too little too late as the Bobcats put the finishing touches on a 72-58 home win. The win capped off an excellent weekend for Quinnipiac, starting the conference schedule 2-0.
