The Quinnipiac Bobcats are eager to capture a MAAC Tournament title
HAMDEN, Conn. (BVM) — After being ravaged by COVID-19 last season, the Quinnipiac men’s basketball team is making amends in the 2021-22 season.
Currently, the Bobcats are sitting in fifth in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), with an overall record of 11-8. The Bobcats are 6-5 in conference play and have a standout 8-3 record at home.
Despite most of the familiar faces returning to the team in the 2021-22 season, the Bobcats have gotten contributions from a bevy of surprising candidates. This has forced fifth-year coach Baker Dunleavy to mix and match with his lineup all season long, especially after the loss of junior guard Savion Lewis eight games into the season (Achilles).
One of the biggest keys to the Bobcats’ success this year is the emergence of junior guard Matt Balanc. After averaging just 3.9 points per game as a sophomore last season, Balanc has taken a ginormous leap in year three. Balanc has instantly become Quinnipiac’s most prolific scorer this season, leading the team in scoring, averaging 14.7 points per game.
Another factor to the success in the 2021-22 season is the return of forward graduate student Kevin Marfo. Marfo, who led the nation in rebounds (13.3 RPG) for Quinnipiac just two years ago, played one year for Texas A&M in the 2020-21 season. However, the big man returned to Quinnipiac in 2021-22, where he’s averaging 10.6 points, 10.8 rebounds per game and 4.1 assists per game. Marfo currently leads the Bobcats in rebounds, assists and blocks.
Once Savion Lewis suffered a torn Achilles, it was clear that somebody on the roster was going to have to step up and fill the void left by Lewis. While Matt Balanc has filled that void all year, sophomore guard Dezi Jones has also taken full advantage of his expanded opportunity.
Despite already scoring double-digits three times before Lewis got hurt, Jones’s game took off once he got acclimated to the offense as one of the primary ball handlers on the team. After he was granted to be one of the primary ball handlers following Lewis’ injury, Jones strung together four straight games of double-digit points, scoring 20 in two of those four games.
Another stable piece to the Bobcats’ season is forward graduate student Jacob Rigoni. In five years at Quinnipiac, Rigoni has been one of the most consistent three-point shooters Quinnipiac has ever seen. Although Rigoni is shooting his lowest percentage in his career from deep as a Bobcat, he’s still shooting a respectable 34% from 3-point range.
Regardless of all the separate contributions the Bobcats have been getting from multiple players this season, it’s imperative that the team sustains this success cohesively in the latter part of the regular season. With nine games left in the regular season, the Bobcats will be eager to get over the hump once the MAAC tournament unfolds in March.
