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 fourth edition.
Men’s Basketball Notebook
By: Dylan Fearon
Sitting at 2-3 in conference play, the Quinnipiac men’s basketball team starts their most crucial stretch of the season this weekend. The Bobcats’ next five games feature four at home. Tom Moore’s team starts the important spell against Siena on Friday. Here are three keys for Quinnipiac:
Winning the battle inside
These teams arguably have the best frontcourts in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. They’re the top two in the conference in rebounds per game, rebounding margin and blocked shots. Both have very talented big men who will battle for 40 minutes on Friday. Quinnipiac boasts the fifth best rebounder and second best shot-blocker in the MAAC in Donovan Smith, who was great in Chaise Daniels’ absence. But Daniels is back to go with Smith and freshman forward Abdulai Bundu, who is averaging 12.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game in the last four contests. Throw in fifth year senior Will Simonton and Tom Moore has four frontcourt threats. But Jimmy Patsos has plenty of ammo as well. Brett Bisping leads the MAAC in rebounds per game (8.6), while junior Javion Ogunyemi leads the conference in blocks per game (2.3) and field goal percentage (55 percent). Both sides have industrial-strength frontcourts. Who will get the upper hand?
Moore’s Message: “We have two similar styles. I have a lot of respect for Jimmy and how he coaches and how hard his teams play and how tough his teams are. You can see him on the sideline; he’s a really fiery competitor. We’ve had four really good games with them since we’ve been in the MAAC. They’re usually big and strong up front, and this year is no exception. I think, as much they’ll test our frontcourt, I hope our frontcourt tests their frontcourt too. It will be a very physical game. It might not be determined inside and on the glass, it might be determined by which team shoots better.”
Older backcourt has to play like it
Siena’s star guard Marquis Wright is out with a foot injury, which makes the Saints backcourt young and thin. Jimmy Patsos is forced to give freshmen Kenny Wormley and Nico Clareth more minutes, while senior guard Ryan Oliver has been asked to be aggressive and score more. Compare that to Quinnipiac’s backcourt, which starts a 25-year old Giovanni McLean, senior James Ford, Jr. and junior Daniel Harris. Tom Moore also has the luxury of having sophomore Ayron Hutton on his bench, who started 17 games last year. Siena is 2-2 without Wright this year, with both losses coming on the road. If the frontcourts cancel each other out, the guards could decide the game.
Moore’s Message: I think we are getting better in the backcourt. We are getting more consistent. I think they’re getting used to playing with each other a little bit more. They are starting to believe in each other a little more. But it hasn’t manifested itself yet in the team shooting percentage. They (Siena) are relying on a little bit of youth. Wormley is young, Clareth is young. Ryan Oliver has been their for a while and he is a really good shooter.”
Depth is a huge advantage for QU
Not only was Wright a great scorer, passer and leader, but he also averaged nearly 38 minutes per game. With him sidelined, Bisping and Ogunyemi almost never come off the court and Jimmy Patsos only has six players who play major minutes. To put it in perspective, Siena has six guys who go more than 20 minutes per game. After that, no one plays more than 8 minutes. Quinnipiac on the other has 10 players who average more than 12 minutes a contest. Depth can wear the opponent down, and Quinnipiac has a big-time advantage in that category.
Moore’s Message: It’s (Wright’s injury) a lot to overcome, not only in talent but the minutes he was playing. He (Patsos) is increasing the workload of the guys who were playing, so it (the injury) shortened their bench by one player and hopefully that will be a factor. We play 10 or 11 guys and they’ve all played solid. I don’t mean great. I don’t need everyone to play great for us to beat anyone in this league, but you can have two points and have one rebound and have one assist in eight minutes and have great night. I think our depth can be a factor against these guys because I think they are still adjusting (without Marquis Wright.)”
If the Bobcats can match the Saints’ frontcourt, win the backcourt battle and use their depth to their advantage, they will come out on top. It should be a physical game with tons of energy. TD Bank Sports Center. 7 p.m. ESPN3. Book it.
Women’s Basketball Notebook
By: Josh Silverman
Hot Streak?
After two commanding wins against Rider and Canisius, Quinnipiac won back-to-back games for the first time since they beat Temple and Holy Cross in November. These recent games were extremely important for the Bobcats because it was their first MAAC victories. Before the two games, the Bobcat’s were in the midst of a three game losing streak, including losing the past two by a total of four points. The wins will hopefully give the Bobcat’s momentum down the stretch. In the game against Rider, Quinnipiac fell behind early before putting the beat down on Rider. Once the second quarter started, they played one of their best games of the year and shot 50 percent from the field. If the Bobcats want to continue to have success, they need to continue to play that way. They were able to beat Canisius, but they didn’t play like the way they did against Rider. They came down to earth and shot only 33 percent from the field. Either way, a win is a win on the schedule and the Bobcats now move to two-and-three in the conference.
Shooting the 3
Against Rider, Quinnipiac did a great job controlling the ball and setting themselves up for great shots from down low. In fact, they only shot 17 three-pointers and a whopping 34 of their points came from the paint. They moved the ball well and it really showed. Even though they beat Canisius, they went back to their old ways. They shot 24 three-pointers and 26 of their points came from the paint. There isn’t a huge difference in those numbers, but the Bobcats are heading into the heart of MAAC play and those few points could make a huge difference at the end of the season. They had a recipe that worked, and then they moved away from it. Coach Tricia Fabbri lets the player shoot when they want, but that might not be the strategy with this young team. We saw against Rider how well the Bobcats can move the ball and set up layups. Layups! They had a stretch when they were leading by 23 and passing the ball with perfection. Against Canisius, that wasn’t there. We will see which team shows up when the Bobcat’s face Niagara on Jan. 15.
Moving Forward
The Bobcat’s started the heart of MAAC play when they played Monmouth on Jan. 2. That was the start of MAAC play, meaning every game until the end of the season is a MAAC game and will count towards the seeding for the end of the year tournament. Since then they have beaten Rider and Canisius. They go to Niagara next and look to extend their MAAC and season win streak to three games. It would also tie their MAAC record, putting it at three-and-three. After that they play Canisius again, this time on the road. Since the rest of the games on the Bobcat’s schedule are MAAC games, they are almost all must-win. The game down the stretch that I think will be most important is when the Bobcat’s rematch Marist on Feb. 18. The last time the Quinnipiac faced them they lost 47-56. but the Bobcat’s are a more sound and well rounded team now. The Bobcats need great play from their veteran leaders, such as Maria Napolitano and Morgan Manz in order to compete for a top spots in the MAAC tournament.
