Kelly scores his 1,000th point as Quinnipiac tops Fairfield
Photo Courtesy: Liz Flynn
January 24, 2020
Highlights – Jon Surratt
The Rebound – Bryan Schwartz and Jon Surratt
Game Story – Chris Dacey
Fairfield made the 30-minute trek up to Hamden for a Friday night Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference matchup against Quinnipiac with state bragging rights on the line. The Bobcats also had first place in the MAAC on the line as the team entered the night tied for the top sport with Niagara and Monmouth.
Quinnipiac took care of business winning 81-67 to put its MAAC record at 5-2. The game also saw junior point guard Rich Kelly sink his 1,000th point in a Bobcat uniform. Kelly had his family there to see him reach the mark and his brother, John Kelly, was also in attendance as he plays for Fairfield.
“I didn’t know until everyone started to cheer little extra,” Kelly said. “And I was like alright I probably scored a 1,000 there. I was happy we were able to stay locked in and get some stops down the stretch.”
Kelly came to Quinnipiac the same year head coach Baker Dunleavy did and has seen the point guard grow into the leader that he is for his team today.
“I love Rich,” Dunleavy said. “Just the way we do things, those things are going to happen for certain guys. It’s a great accolade, it really is.”
Kelly reached the 1,000-point mark in 76 games played at Quinnipiac. He was a starter as soon as he stepped on campus do to other players graduating and transferring out after the coaching change was made in 2017.
“I didn’t really think about it too much at the moment,” Kelly said. “I was trying to stay locked in for the win, but I guess I will get to enjoy it a little bit tonight and tomorrow focus on Siena.”
It was also another great game for one of the nation’s top rebounders, Kevin Marfo, he the forward grabbed an eye-catching 15 boards along with 13 points for his ninth double double this season.
And when Marfo was asked after the game about his approach to rebounding, he kept it simple saying “just rebound.”
“I just see [Fairfield] as any other team,” Marfo said. “I play against a lot of great rebounders and the mentality is to have them stop me.”
The game tonight also saw the highest attendance the men’s basketball team has had this season at the People’s United Center with the announced number being 1,989 and when Dunleavy was asked about the energy in the building he definitely noticed.
“It was great,” Dunleavy said. “We are really thankful; a lot of gratitude towards our fans.”
Baker went on to talk about how great the in-state rivalry was for the MAAC and for both schools.
Quinnipiac has a quick turnaround as a trip to the Times Union Center is set for Sunday for a contest with Siena.
