Quinnipiac bounced back Sunday, overpowering Mount St. Mary’s in the second half to win 80-69. The win moved Quinnipiac to 11-5 overall and 4-1 in MAAC play, while Mount St. Mary’s fell to 5-11 and 1-4.

Two nights after a flagrant foul on senior guard Asim Jones ignited a midcourt scuffle, causing benches to empty, and both head coaches were ejected as the Bobcats saw an early second-half 59-42 lead slip away in an 80-79 defeat at Manhattan. 

In the postgame press conference, head coach Tom Pecora responded to the comments of an unnamed Manhattan coach, who started Friday’s scuffle. 

“He’s got a long history of behaving like that, and I am always going to defend my team, and I am not going to let anyone talk to my players that way.”

Pecora later stated that the situation was “disgraceful” and “it’s not what this college game is all about.” 

Pecora also mentioned that they played poorly in the second half and that it was their worst in three years, but he explained how important it was to get the team to move past Friday’s game and focus on the future.

“On Saturday, we talked at length about what happened, how it happened, and how we kept doing it. But I’d rather talk about today’s win than the loss two days ago.”

Quinnipiac would trail 35-32 at the break, then erupted for 48 points after halftime, shooting 59.1% in the second half and getting to the foul line repeatedly to seal it.

Sophomore forward Grant Randall powered the Bobcats with 25 points. In comparison, graduate guard Asim Jones scored 17 and senior forward Amarri Monroe posted 16 points and 12 rebounds as Quinnipiac turned a three-point halftime deficit into a comfortable MAAC win. 

“His ability to shoot the ball at that size. I mean, you can’t close out on it.” Pecora said in response to Randall evolving throughout the season.

The opening stretch felt tight, with both teams trading empty possessions before the Bobcats found life in transition. Freshman guard Keith McKnight opened the scoring, then Randall got loose for a runout dunk as Quinnipiac jumped ahead early.

Mount St. Mary’s answered behind sophomore forward Luke McEldon on the interior and junior guard Anthony Arrington from deep, but Quinnipiac flipped the game with pressure and pace. 

After Arrington pulled the Mount within one, the Bobcats ripped off a 13-0 burst that pushed the margin to 19-5, forcing the Mountaineers into hurried looks and turnovers that turned into quick points the other way.

Mount St. Mary’s steadied itself with sophomore guard Abdou Khadre Kébé sparking the comeback, and senior guard Arlandus Keyes heating up from 3-point range. 

A late Mountaineers push erased the early hole, tying the game at 28 before Keyes drilled another three to give the Mount the lead, and a fast-break finish in the final seconds sent Quinnipiac to the locker room down three.

“We got comfortable, which is what immature teams do, and we’ve got to grow up,” Pecora said

The second half belonged to the Bobcats. Monroe and Jones got them level at the line, then Jones buried a three and kept attacking off the bounce as Quinnipiac started to control the flow. Monroe answered with a three of his own, and the Bobcats kept stacking stops into runouts, stretching the lead with a McKnight dunk in transition.

That surge turned into a 12-3 run that gave Quinnipiac breathing room, and the Mountaineers never fully recovered.

Still, Mount St. Mary’s made one real push. Trailing 60-50, Keyes opened a 7-0 run with a three-pointer, senior forward Justin Amadi scored in the paint, and McEldon finished it to cut the deficit to three. 

Quinnipiac answered immediately with a 10-2 response, leaning on free throws and paint touches to rebuild a double-digit lead and take control for good.

You always look as a coach, how do we respond after a loss? And I thought we did a good job at that, especially in the 2nd half.” Pecora said

Down the stretch, the Bobcats closed the door at the stripe. Monroe went 7-for-7 on free throws, and Randall added key makes late as Quinnipiac finished 21-for-27 at the line.

Quinnipiac will look to continue its success in MAAC play when it faces the Sacred Heart Pioneers next Sunday, Jan. 11, in Fairfield. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m