Quinnipiac falls to Canisius in back and forth battle
January 17, 2019
By: Josh Silverman
It was a back and forth game filled with 16 lead changes that Quinnipiac ultimately ended up on the wrong side of as it fell to Canisius 65-63 in Hamden, Connecticut.
Quinnipiac fought back from an early 9-2 deficit to tie the game. Then teams traded baskets back and forth until the final buzzer.
A last-ditch effort by Cam Young ultimately fell short after Canisius guard Takal Molson scored with 5.6 seconds remaining to give Canisius the lead.
“It really comes down to just every single possession,” Quinnipiac guard Rich Kelly said. “Whether it’s a box out or back pivoting, jump-stopping, being solid. Just one play at the end that you can lose the game on.”
Quinnipiac’s toughest task entering the game was to be able to find a way to slow down the conference’s preseason player of the year, Canisius guard Isaiah Reese.
The Bobcats defense did a good job of containing Reese, who finished with 11 points. However, it was his nine assists that might have been the difference.
“We certainly emphasized him,” Quinnipiac head coach Baker Dunleavy said. “He’s a really good player. And I think as Rich (Kelly) said he only had 11 points but nine assists, two turnovers can help you win a game. And so I think that’s a credit to him and being a winning player.”
While Quinnipiac might have given the attention to Reese, it was Molson who did most of the damage for Canisius.
“Just a physical player that gets a lot done near the basket which I think he’s really good at,” Dunleavy said. “He imposed his will on us today driving the ball and cutting around the basket.”
Quinnipiac was able to stay in the game due to its outstanding rebounding. More impressive than Quinnipiac’s 42 rebounds was that 17 of them were offensive.
The loss is Quinnipiac’s second in conference play this season.
And while the team is currently above .500 in conference play, its head coach knows the team still has a ways to go.
“It says we’re not good enough quite yet to pull away and build a lead but we’re good enough to hang in and grind in games and keep them close,” Dunleavy said. “Obviously you’d rather be able to build leads especially at home and be that type of team. We’re not there yet and we have to keep getting better.”
Quinnipiac will play the fourth and final game of its home stretch against Niagara on Saturday, Jan. 19 at 2 p.m.
