By Connor Wilson, Ethan Hurwitz and Khalise Harris
It’s tough to beat the team three times in one season, and that sentiment rang true for Quinnipiac men’s basketball in the MAAC tournament last week.
After a regular season where they claimed the MAAC’s top seed for the second-straight year and a 2-0 season series against Iona, the Bobcats were bounced in the conference semifinals by the fourth-seeded Gaels Friday night.
“I want to congratulate Iona, I thought they did a wonderful job,” Quinnipiac head coach Tom Pecora said following the loss. “One of the things we talked about each game … was (to) control the backboard and control the paint, and they really punished us in the paint.”
QU Sports Page’s Connor Wilson, Ethan Hurwitz and Khalise Harris take a look at three reasons why the Bobcats fell short of a conference title game appearance for the fifth time since joining the MAAC.
REBOUNDING: Qunnipiac led the MAAC in rebounding (38.5 per game) during the regular season, which was anchored by junior forward Amarri Monroe and senior forward Paul Otieno. The frontcourt duo combined for 27 double-doubles, by far the most amongst teammates in the conference. One of the Bobcats’ overall strengths all year long was their ability to dominate the glass.
In Friday’s loss, Quinnipiac was outrebounded by Iona 39-28, including 14-12 on the offensive glass. Otieno had eight and Monroe had six, both below their season averages. When the Gaels visited Hamden on Feb. 16, the Bobcats were plus-16 on the boards en route to a five-point win. In that same game, Iona’s leading rebounder, junior forward Yaphet Moundi, didn’t play due to an illness.
“We laughed, because he had the flu and we called it the ‘Otieno-virus,’” now-former Iona head coach Tobin Anderson said. “We said ‘Are you afraid of him?’, or something like that. We did that to motivate him.”
There was no sign of an “Otieno-virus” in Atlantic City. Moundi grabbed 11 rebounds and outmuscled Otieno in the paint for nearly the entire game. The Gaels were able to control the glass from the opening tip and make the Bobcats uncomfortable in an area where they are usually sharp, which threw Quinnipiac off for the rest of the night. — Wilson
3-POINT SHOOTING: It’s not new for the Bobcats to struggle to consistently connect from deep. They’ve been ranked in or around the bottom 20 of teams across Division I in 3-point shooting percentage all season, and junior guard Ryan Mabrey — who the team brought in through the transfer portal to be the team’s primary shooter — saw his minutes dwindle all season.
In Friday’s loss, Quinnipiac went 9-for-29 from behind the arc with Monroe accounting for nine of the misses. Sophomore guard Khaden Bennett, who hit three 3-pointers in Wednesday’s quarterfinals win over Rider, missed all four of his attempts. For Monroe, it was one of his worst performances at a time where they couldn’t afford it.
“Obviously, we’re upset,” Monroe said. “But as captains, you know, you can’t really put your head down, because the younger guys see it down, and they’ll put their head down.”
For comparison, the Gaels shot just 10 times from three. While they only made two of those, the overall defensive pressure forced the Bobcats into a one-dimensional, 3-point heavy offense, an offense that the team already wasn’t excelling at. — Hurwitz
FOUL TROUBLE: Quinnipiac committed 20 fouls compared to Iona’s 16, but the timing and impact of these fouls were more significant, as three players — Bennett, graduate guard Savion Lewis, and senior guard Doug Young — each had four fouls.
Lewis picked up his first foul just two minutes into the game, while Bennett committed his first five minutes in. Both had two fouls by halftime, and Bennett quickly tallied his third early in the second half. Young and Lewis each drew back-to-back fouls in the second half, ultimately sidelining Lewis. Bennett’s fourth foul came with 40 seconds left, stretching Iona’s lead to six points, sealing the Bobcats’ fate.
As Lewis is the team’s primary ball handler and sets the tone on the court, with one foul to give up Quinnipiac knew that his absence would be significant. Without him, the responsibility fell to Bennett and Monroe, who struggled offensively, with Monroe shooting 8-for-22 and 3-for-12 from three. Lewis only played 26 games this season while the Bobcats played 33 total games, so they had played without him before — but when it mattered most, his absence was glaring.
Lewis played 22 minutes (his lowest total since February) for his last game with the Bobcats. While Young logged 15 minutes and Bennett played 26 — higher than their season averages of 13.2 and 24.6 minutes.
“Just knowing this was my last time playing with Quinnipiac, I wasn’t able to finish the job, but I believe I left a legacy here for the young guys that they’re going to carry on and be able to finish it in the next years coming,” Lewis said.
Lewis spent seven seasons with the Bobcats, starting all 34 games while averaging a career-high 31.0 minutes per game. — Harris