HAMDEN — The Quinnipiac men’s basketball team sought to avenge its only MAAC loss of the season with Canisius in town Sunday. The Bobcats came through with an impressive 88-63 win to widen their lead at the top of the conference.
“Having the ability to control the game the way we did, for a good portion of it, means we’re getting better each day,” head coach Tom Pecora said.
The Bobcats started the game with a dunk from sophomore forward Amarri Tice, and it was smooth sailing from there. The hosts were hoping for a different result from the team’s previous meeting, and they certainly got it.
Tice propelled the Bobcats in the first half with a hot shooting start, and the team led by 11 early on after the Wofford transfer hit a three off a pass from graduate student guard Savion Lewis.
The Bobcats capitalized in the first half off numerous Canisius mistakes. They had 16 points in the contest off of turnovers and cruised to an easy victory.
“This one was personal, we knew after our Friday game that Sunday would be tough, that was our only (MAAC) loss and we were just ready, and it showed,” Tice said.
The second half saw the Bobcats come out strong with an early 8-0 run, with graduate guard Matt Balanc doing the damage for Quinnipiac, making three straight shots. Balanc nailed two threes to increase the lead to 28, leading to Quinnipiac’s biggest lead of the afternoon.
As the lead increased, Pecora used all active players, contributing 28 points off the bench. With junior guard Doug Young fouling out with just under 16 minutes to go in the half, Pecora had to get creative.
Senior guard Arion Lewis received big minutes, and was very productive, finishing the day with eight points. Many of the starters were able to receive some much needed rest, which is very valuable this late in the season.
The Bobcats earned their 10th conference victory of the season, and remain in sole possession of first place. They currently hold a three-game lead over Niagara, Fairfield and Saint Peter’s — who are all tied for second in the conference.
“It’s gonna be a wild MAAC tournament, it’s a great way to continue to motivate our guys,” Pecora said. “We’re on the back nine, we made the turn and now we’ve got to continue to get better.”
The Bobcats will now focus on the next game, a matchup with a tough Saint Peter’s team that has allowed the second least points in the conference this season. They meet on Feb. 8, with tip-off set for 7 p.m.
