Photo Courtesy: Quinnipiac Athletics
By: Dylan Fearon
The TD Bank Sports Center has seen some dominant rebounding performances in the last seven years. Quinnipiac has a streak of six straight seasons leading the country in at least one rebounding category, including offensive rebounds per game in five of the last six years.
But that streak will almost definitely come to an end after this season.
On Monday night, the TD Bank Sports Center did see a tremendous rebounding performance, but it was by Quinnipiac’s opponent, Siena. The Saints out-rebounded the Bobcats 52-27 en route to a 84-75 victory, extending Quinnipiac’s losing streak to three games.
Bobcats big man Donovan Smith appeared to injure his left foot early in the first half, and only tallied two minutes the entire night. The loss was apparent, as Chaise Daniels had to play 36 minutes and was noticeably gassed towards the end of the game. Abdulai Bundu and Alain Chigha just were not tall or strong enough to withstand Siena’s big men trio.
“Donovan is about six-foot-nine, 250 (pounds), talented, can protect the rim, rebound as well as score,” Daniels said. “So it hurt us and the offensive game plan.”
Saints forward Brett Bisping muscled his way to 17 points and 14 rebounds and Javion Ogunyemi scored 25 points on 12-for-14 shooting. But the man of the hour for Jimmy Patsos’ team was Lavon Long, who poured in 26 points, 16 rebounds and 6 assists. The three were no match for Quinnipiac’s interior.
“When you face Quinnipiac, you know they’re going to rebound so if you don’t come here play tough and box out, they’re going to kill you on the boards,” Ogunyemi said. “It was a group effort today on the boards from our side.”
Long attributes Siena’s great rebounding to performance to one word.
“Intensity,” Long said. “You just have to work harder. I think it’s partly knowing where the ball is coming off too, but other than that, that’s always been the plan. They rebound well, so let’s rebound better.”
Quinnipiac’s rebounding struggles have been apparent all season. The Bobcats have finished minus-10 or worse in rebounding margin four times this year. From 2010-2016, it happened only twice.
“We’re smaller, we’re younger, we’re weaker,” Quinnipiac head coach Tom Moore said. “Other than Chaise, Donovan and Abdulai, pretty much at every other position we’re pretty small, we’re pretty weak, and we haven’t overcompensated for the lack of size, and especially at the one, two and three.”
In past seasons, Moore has had dominant rebounders. This year’s Quinnipiac team doesn’t feature a rebounding machine or glass master like an Ike Azotam or Ousmane Drame. Daniels leads the team in rebounds per game at 5.7 per night.
Moore needs to see more emotion and vitality from his team, or else wins will be hard to come by the rest of the season.
“If we’re not tougher and we don’t have more energy from seven to nine, Niagara will beat us here,” Moore said. “We would’ve lost to Niagara tonight. We would’ve lost to every team in the MAAC tonight in my opinion. That’s what basketball is about, you’re only as good as your last game and our toughness and our energy was terrible tonight.”
Daniels completely agrees with his coach.
“We just didn’t have it tonight,” Daniels said “We just didn’t have enough energy, enough hunger. They are down players as well, so we can’t use it as an excuse. We just have to be better for Niagara.”
Quinnipiac is now 5-7 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play after starting 5-4. Fortunately for Moore, the rest of the schedule favors the Bobcats. Quinnipiac has already played top MAAC opponents Monmouth, Iona, Canisius and Siena twice, and Saint Peter’s on the road. But the Bobcats need to play better, and they know that.
“We all have to step up, make that extra play, make that extra sacrifice for our teammates so we can become a better team,” Daniels said.”
