Bobcats get revenge on Peacocks
After smarting over a 62-60 loss to Saint Peter's in the MAAC Tournament in March that cost the team an NCAA Tournament appearance despite winning the MAAC division, the Bobcats waited for this moment
JERSEY CITY -- Quinnipiac stewed all summer about losing 62-60 to Saint Peter’s in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference semifinals on Mouhamed Sow’s buzzer-beater tip-in, which cost the top-seeded Bobcats an NCAA tournament appearance.
When the schedule came out, the Bobcats no doubt circled Jan. 3 in their calendars. It was the date they would play the Saint Peter’s Peacocks, who advanced to the MAAC final and defeated Fairfield, 68-63, to win the conference tournament and qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years.
Friday night came, and the Bobcats made their point by dominating the Peacocks, 59-46, at Yanitelli Center.
“Hats off to Quinnipiac,” Peacocks coach Bashir Mason said on the night he received his MAAC championship ring. “They came out here with purpose, pride and aggressiveness. I’m happy it happened. It shows my group is not mature or physical enough. We are learning, and when we are learning, we are struggling.”
The Cats set the tempo by playing physically, throwing Saint Peter’s players on the ground. They also battled the Peacocks to get loose balls, which did not go unnoticed.
“Quinnipiac was a more connected and physical group,” Mason said. “It had nothing with lack of experience. Our guys have been working together since June.”
The Bobcats (7-7. 3-0 MAAC) started the game with a 12-4 lead. They finished the first half on a 15-0 run, taking a 41-24 halftime lead. In that run, Jaden Zimmerman (career-high 16 points, fourth consecutive double-digit point total performance) had a couple of dunks that had the Bobcats crowing on the bench to go with his 3-pointer, Paul Otieno (11 points) executed a 3-point play and Alexis Reyes shot a 3-pointer.
The Bobcats’ biggest lead in this contest came at 49-27 after a 3-pointer by Khaden Bennett, who scored 13 points.
The Peacocks (5-6, 0-3) showed some fight by outsourcing the visitors, 22-18, in the second half, but the damage was done at the end of the first half after they cut the Bobcats’ lead to 26-24.
Saint Peter’s best players, Marcus Randolph and Sow, struggled in this contest by combining to score just nine points.
Otieno had his way with Sow, who only scored two points. Zimmerman and Amarri Monroe (12 points, nine rebounds) limited Randolph to seven points.
“When Marcus, Stephon (Roberts) and Sow do not play well, we have no chance to win with our young guys finding their way,” Morris bemoaned about incorporating six transfers to mesh with the veterans.
Saint Peter’s rookie transfer Bryce Eaton did all he could to cut the Peacocks’ deficit by scoring 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting, including a 3-pointer.
Quinnipiac scoring 15 second-chance points explained why the Peacocks had a hard time keeping up with the visitors.
Nothing went right for the Peacocks. They shot 17-of-54 and 5-of-21 on the 3-point line. They were outrebounded, 44-35. It would be tough to compensate for Quinnipiac boasting four players scoring on double figures.
It was not meant to be for a team trying to find its footing and identity.
“Severely below my expectations,” Mason answered when asked about the state of his team. “It has been a roller-coaster ride, which is where we are. We need to figure out what our culture is, what our players are about and what the program is about.”
With Saint Peter’s playing again on Friday against Niagara (6-7. 1-1) at Niagara Falls, Mason will have plenty of practice time to get his team back on track.