Otieno’s strong day can’t alleviate Quinnipiac’s struggles in loss at Merrimack

Paul Otieno’s 20 points and 11 rebounds were not enough for Quinnipiac as Bobcats fell to Merrimack Sunday. (Photo by Quinnipiac Athletics)

By Ethan Hurwitz (@HurwitzSports)

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. — After winning four straight games, including multiple from behind, Quinnipiac’s own personal kryptonite struck again. And this time, a comeback wasn’t able to heal it. 

“It was one of those games where we just did not bring it early on,” Quinnipiac head coach Tom Pecora said following the team’s 73-63 loss to Merrimack Sunday afternoon. “Obviously, we turned the ball over. I talked to our veterans about that, that just can’t be the way it is. We’re too seasoned a team to play like that.”

The 21 turnovers were a glaring error. It’s fixable, as Merrimack’s 2-3 zone defense forced the Bobcats into a number of tricky offensive possessions. It’s the three-point shooting, where Pecora’s squad shot just 5-for-19 from deep, that has been the lingering thorn in Quinnipiac’s side.

“We have shot makers. (Doug Young’s) a decent shooter. (Ryan Mabrey’s) a decent shooter,” Pecora said. “They came in. They got their chance off the bench and didn’t make their shots. I think Khaden (Bennett) shot 1-for-7, and we got decent looks. They weren’t the worst looks in the world. So, I mean, it’s an opportunity for us to make shots.”

The Warriors—led by sophomore guard Budd Clark—rode a dominating second half en route to a key win in the MAAC standings, one that could have drastic implications on the conference tournament in one week. 

“Budd’s a great little player,” Pecora said. “He’s a tough little guard, he controls tempo. Obviously, he can get you on his hip and he gets the spots on the floor, you know? He can get buckets and he's unselfish. That’s even more of a challenge because you can’t run a second defender at him.”

While Clark dealt with a number of injuries during the game (he left for a bit with a cut to the face, before getting banged up in a collision with Young), his 20 points led Merrimack, while his eight steals was enough to clutter up any of the Bobcats’ chances on offense.

The guard play from the Bobcats was an issue. Finding passing lanes—usually the bread and butter of graduate guard Savion Lewis—was a struggle. Trying to crack the zone defense, or defenses, as Pecora alluded to postgame, is what caved the visitors in. 

For the front court, the team’s best players, graduate student Paul Otieno and junior Amarri Monroe, had two drastically different games. While both of them rebounded the ball at a high clip (they combined for 27 boards on the day), Otieno scored a team-best 20 points and added 11 rebounds, while Monroe shot just 1-for-11 from the field. Merrimack’s defense stifled Monroe, who had a season-high five turnovers.

“Right out of the gate, we had seven turnovers,” Pecora said. “This is not a team pressing. I’m tough on veteran captains and especially veteran guards. I thought Paul did a great job against the zone. You know, once again, rebounding numbers, Paul and Amarri had every rebound except seven for us.”

The lone positive that arrived out of the loss is that the Bobcats still control their own destiny for the MAAC regular season title. With Marist dropping its second straight game—this one a 57-52 loss to Saint Peter’s—Quinnipiac is still on track to win the trophy if the next two games fall in the Bobcats’ favor. 

So with three days in between today’s loss and Thursday’s home date against Mount St. Mary’s, the Bobcats will hope to get more from their bench that can help alleviate some scoring struggles.

“We gotta get more from our entire cast,” Pecora admitted.