Monmouth Falls to Quinnipiac 68-64

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – In a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference contest that featured eight ties and 14 lead changes, Monmouth dropped its first league game of the season, as Quinnipiac escaped the MAC with a 68-64 victory on Friday night. Monmouth, which was led by Justin Robinson’s (Lake Katrine, N.Y./Kingston) 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists, falls to 7-8 overall and 4-1 in the MAAC.

Justin Robinson takes a shot against Quinnipiac (Monmouth Athletics)

Robinson, who tied a career-high with seven rebounds, led three Hawks in double-figures, as Andrew Nicholas (Wrightsville, Pa./Eastern York) added 13 and Collin Stewart (Glenville, N.Y./Mekeel Christian Academy) notched his second straight 12-point outing. Brice Kofane (Yaounde, Cameroon/Miller School/Providence) tallied nine points, three rebounds and two blocks, while Max DiLeo (Cinnaminson, N.J./Cinnaminson) chipped in five points, seven rebounds, five steals, two assists and two blocks for the Hawks.

After a DiLeo slam off a steal put Monmouth in front 60-58 with 3:27 left, consecutive three-pointers from Evan Conti and Zaid Hearst, coupled with a pair of free throws from James Ford, gave Quinnipiac a 66-60 lead with 27.8 seconds showing. Stewart answered with a three-pointer from the wing to cut the deficit in half with 17.6 left, and after Hearst missed a pair of foul shots, DiLeo was fouled on a three-point attempt with 5.0 on the clock. DiLeo missed the first, hit the second and intentionally missed the third free throw, while Ousmane Drame connected on two from the stripe with 4.1 left to account for the 68-64 final score.

"This was a tough one tonight. I thought our kids fought extremely hard," stated head coach King Rice. "Quinnipiac just made enough plays down the stretch to edge us out. Our team is still getting better and we will continue to work to try to get back on the good side on Monday."

Justin Robinson (Monmouth Athletics)

Monmouth used an early 8-0 to claim an 8-2 lead with 15:55 remaining in the half on Robinson’s short jump shot, but an 11-4 spurt from the Bobcats pushed Quinnipiac in front 17-14 with 11:05 showing. Kofane’s offensive rebound and putback at 3:45 knotted the game at 22-22, and after QU took a 27-22 advantage with 2:41 left, Robinson tallied the final seven points of the stanza for the Blue & White, including a pair from the foul line with 5.5 ticks to put MU ahead 29-27.

Trailing 33-31 with 17:51 left in the second, a 7-0 Monmouth run, capped by Stewart’s drive with 15:48, gave the Hawks a 38-33 edge, but an 8-0 spurt from QU pushed the Bobcats back in front 41-38 with 14:48 showing. Stewart’s three-pointer allowed MU to hold a 45-41 advantage with 13:06 remaining, while Robinson’s steal and basket at the 11:00 mark gave the Hawks a 52-46 cushion.

Nicholas’ three-pointer and traditional three-point play gave the Hawks a 58-56 lead with 5:35 left.

Quinnipiac, which connected on 14-of-25 from the field, including 6-of-11 from three-point range in the second half, was led by Hearst’s game-high 27 points and 10 rebounds, while Drame added 17 points and 10 boards.

Monmouth, which held a 36-22 advantage in points in the paint, was even with the nation’s top-rebounding team at 35-35 each.

Monmouth returns to action on Monday, January 12 when the Hawks travel to in-state rival Rider University as part of the hOURglass Rivalry Series at 7:00 p.m., in MAAC action.