Shorthanded Quinnipiac knocks off Marist to move to 3-0 in MAAC play

Asim Jones led Quinnipiac with 23 points as Bobcats held off Marist to remain undefeated in MAAC play. (Photo by Quinnipiac Athletics)

By Connor Wilson (@Conman_815)

HAMDEN, Conn. — Down two key players Monday afternoon, Quinnipiac was still able to knock off Marist in a battle of two of the top teams in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, fending off the Red Foxes by a 64-58 final score to move to 3-0 in league play.

“Team effort for us to be down two bodies,” head coach Tom Pecora said. “Our two guard spot was wide open, (and) the guys responded.”

Down both Jaden Zimmerman (lower body) and Nate Guerengomba (illness), the Bobcats and Pecora had a limited guard room at their disposal. Redshirt freshman Samson Reilly entered the starting lineup for the first time in his career, while Asim Jones played a career-high 37 minutes and dropped a career-best 23 points.

“I knew I had to step up and put the ball in the basket,” Jones said. “To be honest, I’m a little hurting right now, but I feel good. I played well, we got the dub.”

A Florida International transfer, Jones was brought into Hamden with big shoes to fill as the starting point guard after Savion Lewis’ seven-year career finally came to an end last season. The senior has responded by giving great efforts all throughout non-conference play, perhaps none as crucial as Monday’s.

“With the ball in his hands late and his ability to shoot the basketball, it's the difference,” Pecora said. “In the past with Savion, who was great for us, but he wasn’t an offensive threat from the perimeter while now Asim can knock them down.”

Joining Jones in double figures were Amarri Monroe and Grant Randall. Monroe, the preseason player of the year in the MAAC, had a poor night from the field shooting just 4-for-15, but still registered 14 points to go along with 10 rebounds and five steals. Even when he’s not scoring at an elite level, Monroe impacts the game in numerous ways.

“I can impact the game in many ways,” Monroe said. “I knew my shot wasn’t falling, so I knew I had to impact the game in some way.”

The two sides traded baskets for pretty much the first 30 minutes, with each team countering the other’s run. The biggest push by either side early on came from the Red Foxes, as they went on a 9-0 run to start the second half to turn a five-point deficit into a four-point lead. The Bobcats fought back, and soon enough, the score was tied at 46 around the 10-minute mark.

Monroe buried a three after that to make the score 49-46, putting Quinnipiac in the driver's seat for good. A free throw from Monroe and a jumper from Jones pushed the lead back to six, before back-to-back jumpers from Jones a few minutes later gave the Bobcats their largest lead of nine.

“We knew he was a dog when he came here in the summer,” Monroe said of Jones. “He’s hooping and showing up every single game and is one of our leaders. Definitely an all-conference player. No brainer.”

Marist cut it down to three around the two-minute mark, but Jones came to the rescue again and drilled a deep three to double the lead right near the Bobcat bench. The senior celebrated with his teammates after Marist head coach John Dunne called timeout, showcasing the culture that has been built over the past couple of months in M&T Bank Arena.

“We’re like one big family, for sure,” Jones said. “I swear I shake these guys’ hands like 1,000 times a day. We’re connected.”

Justin Menard buried a three on the next Marist possession to cut the lead back to three before Pecora called timeout. Needing a critical bucket to make it a two-score game, he called upon Jones and he delivered. He hit a tough contested layup with 35 seconds remaining to push the Bobcats’ advantage to five and after a Red Fox miss, he knocked down one of two from the free throw line to seal the Quinnipiac win.

The key to the victory was on the glass, as Quinnipiac used 17 offensive rebounds and a plus-6 overall margin on the boards. In addition to Monroe’s 10, Randall and Keith Mcknight each had six caroms, while Spence Wewe had seven. Sam Nosakhare had three critical offensive rebounds in extended minutes in the second half, including one that led to a Reilly triple that silenced that half-opening run from Marist.

“His level of activity is tremendous,” Pecora said of Nosakhare. “We’re gonna have to play big with him and Spence at the five because that’s what it's going to take to win the championship.”

“With 17 offensive rebounds, it's hard to lose,” Monroe added. “That was our game plan.”

The win propels Quinnipiac to 3-0 on the young MAAC season. With it not being a guarantee that the team gets to Atlantic City based on the tournament format, the Bobcats realize every win is important.

“Every game matters,” Monroe reiterated. “It’s a competitive conference and anybody can beat anybody. Every win is big because not everyone makes it to Atlantic City, so starting 3-0 is great, but we’re worried about our next game.”

Up next for the Bobcats? A trip to Manhattan to take on the Jaspers Friday night in another matchup between two of the top teams in the MAAC.