HAMDEN — A stout defensive effort by Quinnipiac men’s basketball paved the way for a clobbering of the Manhattan Jaspers 76-59 Sunday. The team’s third straight win pushes the Bobcats to a 3-1 conference record and 11-4 overall.
“It wasn’t a painting, but it was a win,” Quinnipiac head coach Tom Pecora said. “We’re going to continue to get better … It’s a marathon, we’ve got a long way to go.”
The Jaspers found themselves in a hole before the game even started. Junior guard Shaquil Bender, who scored 30 points against Niagara two days prior, was ruled out before the contest began.
Quinnipiac’s depth was on display from the opening tip, as four different Bobcats scored the hosts first four buckets of the game. Senior forward Paul Otieno made his mark on the game early and often, scoring six early points as the Bobcats took a 16-8 lead midway through the half.
With momentum on the Bobcats side, Quinnipiac kept pushing. Graduate student guard Matt Balanc got out in transition before throwing down a monster jam.
🤯 OH. MY. GOODNESS. 🤯
Matt Balanc, ladies and gentlemen. @MBalanc x #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/sl2kv3XKEG
— Quinnipiac Men's Basketball (@QU_MBB) January 7, 2024
Then, a wide open three by sophomore forward Amarri Tice pushed the Bobcat lead to 28-15. Tice completed his third double-double of the season in the game.
“When we get stops on defense, and we see Paul (Otieno) go out and get a dunk, it changes the whole mood,” Tice said. “We want to get another one and another one.”
However, the visitors wouldn’t back down. A 9-2 Manhattan run forced a Quinnipiac timeout, as the Jaspers had the Bobcat lead down to six with 5:17 to play in the half. But, Quinnipiac responded well. Relying on their defense, the Bobcats used a full-court press, which helped them force 17 first half turnovers, to ultimately help the hosts push the lead back to double-digits.
“I love when they get me 17 turnovers in one half,” Pecora said. “That’s a ridiculous number, we didn’t do a great job converting on those 17 … I thought we did a better job of that in the second half … turnovers are a very powerful force, if we can turn teams over and get more shots on goal, usually you’re going to be in pretty good shape.”
The three Bobcat captains — Otieno, Balanc and graduate student guard Savion Lewis — outscored Manhattan as a team in the first frame, combining for 30 points as the hosts headed into the break with a 42-27 lead.
The two sides went back and forth to open the second. Otieno threw down an otherworldly fast-break dunk over a Jasper defender, and got rewarded with an and-one.
ANOTHER SLAM in transition 😤
Heard you @Paulotieno500 💪 pic.twitter.com/PuBvPnVaDI
— Quinnipiac Men's Basketball (@QU_MBB) January 7, 2024
Otieno threw down six different dunks in the game, but according to Otieno, that one was his “favorite.
The dunk pushed Quinnipiac’s lead to 16 and the flood gates seemed to just open up from there. Minutes later, Otieno was able to get to the foul line again, knocking down two free throws to push the lead to 26, the largest of the game.
His day ended after those free throws, exiting with 23 points, nine rebounds and a round of applause from the home crowd.
With a significant lead, Quinnipiac was able to get every active player into the game.
Following the win, the Bobcats will turn their attention to Jan. 11, when they travel to Poughkeepsie, New York, to take on Marist. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
