By Connor Wilson
Opening up conference play for the 2022-23 season, the Quinnipiac Bobcats fell at home to the Niagara Purple Eagles by a final score of 64-60 on Sunday afternoon in Hamden.
The Bobcats (7-2, 0-1 MAAC) started the season on a seven game winning streak before losing the finale of the Northern Classic to Hofstra on November 27. The loss to the Purple Eagles (4-4, 1-1 MAAC) makes it two consecutive losses by an average of three points.
“Give credit to Niagara,” Quinnipiac head coach Baker Dunleavy said. “Especially in the first half they came off the glass and outrebounded us and got extra possessions.”
The main difference maker in the game was Niagara guard Noah Thomasson, as the senior guard scored 24 points on 8-for-18 shooting and 4-for-8 from three. He scored 18 of his points in the second half alone and went on a personal 8-0 run early in the second half.
Niagara guard Noah Thomasson
“He has the ability to make difficult shots,” Dunleavy said about Thomasson. “I think he has a great pace to his game. When he has an open lane he scores. He has a great agenda and is very unselfish.”
Thomasson was joined in double figures by sophomore forward Aaron Gray, who finished with 14 points and shot 4-for-9 from distance. Graduate student forward Sam Iorio chipped in seven points and seven rebounds and junior guard Lance Erving hit a pair of threes.
On the Quinnipiac side, the Bobcats were led by graduate student guard Tyrese Williams. Williams scored a season high 18 points off the bench and shot 5-for-11 from the field and 3-for-8 from three. All three of his triples came in a short span in the second half to help get the Bobcats back in the game.
“He’s a leader off of our bench,” Dunleavy said of Williams. “He’s made a lot of sacrifices in his role but he comes in and defends, he's a good shooter. A guy that plays the right way and helps us when he’s in there.
Columbia transfer and graduate student Ike Nweke also had a solid game, finishing with 15 points on an efficient 7-for-8 shooting to go along with a team high nine boards. Junior guard Dezi Jones was also in double figures with 12. Redshirt senior guard Matt Balanc struggled throughout, scoring just three points on 1-for-5 shooting.
Quinnipiac guard Dezi Jones
Dunleavy summed up his team’s performance with one quote: “I thought we could have been much better defensively.”
He’s right, as a majority of the three point attempts by the Purple Eagles were open looks. Numerous times the guards such as Thomasson and Erving would throw cross-court skip passes to open shooters on the other end.
This isn’t the first time that Thomasson torched the Bobcats. Last season he scored 21 points in a win against Quinnipiac on January 9 up in Niagara. So far this season he has made up the production that was lost when guard Marcus Hammond transferred to Notre Dame following last year.
Up next for both teams: Quinnipiac travels north to Worcester for a non-conference matchup against Holy Cross on December 7 and Niagara has a week off before returning home to face Eastern Michigan on December 11.