Photo courtesy Quinnipiac Athletics
Throughout the season, Q30 Sports’ Quinnipiac basketball beat reporters Dylan Fearon and Josh Silverman will dissect the past week for both the men’s and women’s teams. They will provide insight into the latest trends, updates on player injury’s, and quotes from head coaches Tom Moore and Tricia Fabbri.
Below is the third edition:
Men’s Basketball (5-8, 2-2 MAAC)
By Dylan Fearon
A dominant performance on the glass and a strong second half propelled Iona to a 78-66 win over Quinnipiac on Saturday. Two days later, the Bobcats would snap their four game losing streak, defeating Rider 64-60 in Hamden.
Donnie on the spot
After a tough game against Iona, Donovan Smith made sure it wouldn’t be two in a row. The junior college transfer poured in 15 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks against Rider, while holding its big man Kahlil Thomas to just six points. Thomas came into the contest with three straight double-doubles, but Smith bullied him inside for most of the night. The Chicago native is fourth in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in rebounds per game (7.7) and second in blocks per game (2.0). With sophomore Chaise Daniels sidelined with an injury, Smith has really stepped up to the task of replacing a top big in the MAAC. Let’s see how he does at Monmouth on Saturday in front of a full house.
Moore’s Message: “He’s been asked to go from junior college to Division I, and now with Chaise’s injury, we go into every game needing him and Gio (McLean) to be good. He was called out pretty good after the Iona game on Saturday. He didn’t take one step back, took his punches, and prepared mentally.”
Hutton is hooping
Let’s be honest, Ayron Hutton had a nightmare start to the 2015-16 campaign. The sophomore guard didn’t register a point in the first six games, but in the last couple of weeks he has shown why he was an All-MAAC Rookie team selection a year ago. In his last four games, Hutton is averaging 10.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game, while shooting 53 percent from downtown. Can’t ask for more from a guard off the pine.
Moore’s Message: “Ayron Hutton, along with James Ford and Danny Harris did exactly what we needed them to do (against Rider). They don’t have to be dominant players. We don’t ever need 20 points a game out of them for a month-long stretch, but we need them to be good players and opportunistic shooters. When they get an open look, just step into it with confidence and knock it down…they’re all going in the right direction and I’m happy with where they’re going.”
Bundu the energizer bunny
They call Giovanni McLean “Batteries Not Included,” but Abdulai Bundu has brought the most energy as of late. The reigning MAAC Rookie of the Week put in yeoman’s work against Maine last week, dropping a career-high 23 points and 15 rebounds. “Dulli” followed that up with a 15-point, nine-rebound effort against Iona. He doesn’t give up on plays and is always looking to corral offensive rebounds. In a guard-dominant league like the MAAC, a raw but talented Bundu will be an important piece for Quinnipiac as conference play heats up.
Moore’s Message: “He’s a relentless motor, he’s an enthusiastic competitor. His play brings energy to the bench and the other four guys he’s on the court with. You don’t expect it out of a freshman, but the thing I like about Abdulai right now is that he is just controlling what he can control. Most freshmen get affected by the things they can’t control. He practices hard every day, he’s a sponge and really wants to learn. He’s a terrific teammate and a terrific competitor and he’s been really important for us this week as we battle through this slump.”
Rebound U fails vs. Iona, schools Broncs
On the national scale, Quinnipiac is known for one thing: rebounding. The Bobcats failed to win the battle of the boards against Iona though, as the Gaels out-rebounded QU 57-42. That’s the most rebounds given up by Quinnipiac in the Tom Moore era. But against Rider, the Bobcats proved that they still belong among the nation’s best rebounding teams, destroying the Broncs on the glass 51-32.
Moore’s Message: “We have never experienced a minus-15 on the glass the whole time I’ve been here. It’s (rebounding) our identity and I like to think it’s one thing we can do in our sleep. I think the rebounding (against Iona) became a part of the way the game went. They took the game to us in the last 17 minutes in a big way. They were the hammer and we were the nail, and it affected all aspects of our game.”
A Bobcat and a Hawk walk onto a court…
Although its bench is getting most of the airtime, what the Monmouth players on the court are doing is amazing too. The Hawks are 10-4 this season with wins against UCLA, Notre Dame, USC and Georgetown. But Quinnipiac has owned Monmouth, winning the first four matchups since both teams joined the MAAC back in 2013. In fact, the Hawks haven’t beaten the Bobcats since the 2009-10 season, when the programs were in the Northeast Conference. It’s bound to be a good one in West Long Branch this weekend.
Moore’s Message: “Monmouth’s a great story, it couldn’t happen to a better person in King Rice. It’s been fun for the league and it’s been fun for those kids. Its great for that school and it sheds a positive light on the MAAC so that’s awesome. The thing they’ve done really well is (Justin) Robinson has been special so far. The thing I really like is how consistently he competes for 38 minutes a game on both ends of the court…the challenge for us is going to be that (Monmouth) plays with a ton of offensive confidence right now. They’re playing loose and free. We have to be defensively ready at all five spots. Whoever gets the ball for them is playing with belief…they’re going to believe they’re going to win until the horn sounds. This will be a great test for us. We’ll try to stay true to what we are about, play big in the paint and try to control the back-boards in a hostile environment.”
Women’s Basketball (5-7, 0-3 MAAC)
By Josh Silverman
A Tale of Two Halves
Some teams start slow. Some teams start fast. The Bobcats, in the last few games, have started slow. Dating back to the Drexel game on Dec. 21, the Bobcats first half and second half play have been complete opposites. How different? From the field, the Bobcats shot 14 percent against Drexel, 34 percent against Florida Gulf Coast and 30 percent against Monmouth in the first half. In the second half they shot 31 percent, 44 percent and 46 percent, respectively. The Bobcats obviously have to play better and get in a rhythm in the first half so they don’t always have to play from behind. The last two games they have lost by a total of four points. If they could have started strong like they do in the second half, these games wouldn’t be that close. For Quinnipiac it hasn’t been a problem finishing, it has been a problem starting.
Is the Gold Rush working?
Last year Coach Tricia Fabbri’s gold rush system of rotating five players in and out every few minutes worked. It worked so well that they only lost four games the entire season. Now, 12 games into this season, they’ve already lost seven games. Most of that is because they graduated such a talented class. This team is a lot younger. With that being said, after re-evaluating this team, maybe the gold rush isn’t working this year. Maybe the Bobcat’s are too young of a team. It is obvious that they have a lot of talent on this roster, but it’s young and inexperienced. If players weren’t pulled out of the game so often they could possibly establish a rhythm. Players like Carly Fabbri and Brittany Martin who shoot a high volume amount of shots could benefit early in games. Coach Tricia Fabbri has to re-evaluate this team and do something differently in the first half.
Inexperience
Coach Fabbri said earlier in the season that it is very important for this team to experience winning. Unfortunately for the Bobcat’s, they haven’t experienced that since Dec 9. Although they haven’t won since then, the last two games against Florida Gulf Coast and Monmouth have been close. If anything, the Bobcats know how to play hard at the end of games. As this team gains more experience and the younger players adjust to playing in tight games, those losses should turn into wins. The Bobcats look to end their losing streak Wednesday Jan. 6 against Rider at the TD Bank SportsCenter.
