In a contest between the MAAC’s best offense and best defense, the offense prevailed as a veteran Quinnipiac team pulled away in the second half to beat Marist 66-55.
A 20-point double-double by sophomore forward Amarri Tice powered the Bobcats (12-4 overall, 4-1 MAAC) to victory in addition to limiting the Red Foxes (7-6, 2-2 MAAC) to 35 percent shooting. The Newburgh, NY native played about 20 miles from his high school, and had numerous family and friends in attendance. Sophomore center Max Allen returned to the lineup for the Red Foxes and recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
“At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if I have a double-double we just have to finish the game and get the win,” said Allen.
A rematch of last year’s MAAC quarterfinal, the Bobcats come into Poughkeepsie winning four of five, with the sole loss to SEC program Florida. Quinnipiac features several stellar players including Preseason All-MAAC first-team guard Matt Balanc and All-MAAC second-team senior forward Paul Otieno. In addition to those two difference makers, graduate student guard Savion Lewis not only leads the MAAC in assists per game but the entire country at 7.9.
“[Quinnipiac] made some big shots when they needed to. We are a young group and there are things to clean up and get better at. If we want to win games in this league we have to do a better job of not fouling so much,” said head coach John Dunne.
Marist had their backs against the wall, losing their last three. Two of those losses came without Allen, their leading scorer, who stabilizes the offense with his interior scoring and passing ability. His return to the lineup was a welcoming sight for the Red Foxes.
Quinnipiac came out hot with six points in the opening thirty seconds, turning two Marist giveaways into points utilizing full-court pressure.
The Red Foxes rebounded from the rough start by forcing turnovers of their own and pushing transition, where freshman guard Josh Pascarelli knocked in a three-pointer to bring his team within 1 at the 15:16 mark in the first half.
Marist took their first lead after Allen finished with his left hand to extend a 7-0 run while the Bobcats were in the middle of a five-plus minute scoring drought.
Out of the timeout, junior forward Jackson Price nailed a three-pointer, and junior guard Noah Harris followed to continue a 19-1 run spanning eight minutes. The Bobcats were up to six turnovers as the Red Fox defense settled in with 10 minutes left in the half. They were forcing tough shots and getting hands in passing lanes resulting in an ice-cold Quinnipiac offense.
Quinnipiac scored their first field goal in over 11 minutes via junior forward Alexis Reyes’ putback layup. Pascarelli responded with a corner three and Marist led 24-13 with 7:18 left in the first half.
The Bobcats responded with a 10-4 run capped off by a Lewis three-point-play to bring the game within five. Marist freshman guard Jadin Collins ended the run with his third steal and a coast-to-coast layup.
With under a minute left in the half, Quinnipiac called a timeout and Balanc was issued a technical foul in the process. The Bobcats were up to nine turnovers and 33 percent shooting overall, causing some frustration.
Despite their offensive struggles, Quinnipiac found themselves in the game, down only four at the break 33-29. 29 points ties a season-low in a half for the Bobcats. Marist had four players contribute 6 points, and their bench outscored the Bobcats bench 13-0.
Otieno led Quinnipiac with nine points and six rebounds and Tice followed with eight points, five rebounds, and two steals.
Lewis tied the game at 40 with a layup following an offensive rebound. Marist called timeout with 14:51 left in the second half with the game at a crossroads.
Both teams struggled to score out of the break, but the Bobcats netted five free throws to eliminate the deficit. Price and sophomore forward Jaden Daughtry faced foul trouble for the rest of the game, which Quinnipiac exploited whilst leading the MAAC in free throw percentage.
Lewis gave the Bobcats their first lead since the opening minutes after a free throw. A thunderous slam by Tice gave Quinnipiac a three-point lead.
The next several minutes gave back-and-forth play, with neither team able to push ahead and take control. The lack of stoppages led to winded players and scrappy play. With just under 10 minutes remaining, Quinnipiac led 49-47. The referees announced a foul and a free throw was incorrectly called after a Lewis score, which was not correctable, awarding Quinnipiac an extra point.
Tice hit a massive three to open a five-point lead and reached 20 points. Marist had scored one basket in the last five minutes and with 6:42 left in the game, the Red Foxes were shooting 35 percent from the floor.
“I thought we hung in there with them, we just didn’t shoot the ball good enough and we had some costly turnovers,” said Dunne.
A layup from Lewis capped a 7-0 run to pull away. Allen missed two front-end free throws and looked winded due to increased minutes as Price sat on the bench with four fouls. Marist could not get anything going on offense and relied on Allen to carry the load. The Bobcats challenged his touches and wore him down as the Red Foxes stalled offensively.
“I probably played [Allen] too much. Unfortunately, Price was in foul trouble and I rode Max. He was just a little rusty tonight,” said Dunne.
Marist scored their first points in four minutes with Collins hitting two free throws. Balanc hit a dagger step-back three as Quinnipiac eclipsed 50 percent shooting in the second half.
An offensive rebound by the Bobcats forced Marist to begin fouling with just over a minute left. The Red Foxes did not score a point in the last two-plus minutes to lose their fourth straight.
“We’re going to fight no matter what. We are a young team, as long as we keep fighting I like our chances this year,” said Allen.
In a tight game, free throws were the difference maker. In the second half, Quinnipiac converted 11 of 16 while Marist only went 5-10 from the stripe. Collins led Marist in scoring with 13 and Pascarelli added 10. The Bobcats are 8-0 when one player records a double-double. Balanc finished with 16 points, with Lewis adding 13 and Otieno with 11 points and nine rebounds.
“Brickner’s back was tightening up on him. We overplayed Collins a little bit but we need his defense and his toughness. He is a grade-A competitor at such an early age,” said Dunne.
The Red Foxes will look to end the four-game skid with a home matchup against Rider on Sunday, January 14th. Tipoff at McCann Arena is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Edited by: Aidan Lavin
Photo Credit: Jaylen Rizzo
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