The Quinnipiac men’s basketball team fell to St. Francis (N.Y.) 63-61 in its first conference game of the season on Thursday night.

The Bobcats (4-8, 0-1 NEC) were led by Zaid Hearst who had 13 points and 12 rebounds in the loss. Jamee Jackson added 12 points and Dave Johnson chipped in with 10.

With one minute left in the game, Quinnipiac’s Ike Azotam scored a layup underneath the basket to tie the game up at 61. Heading back to defense, Jackson blocked a 3-point attempt by St. Francis, but the Bobcats were unable to convert on the offensive end and lost the ball at half court giving St. Francis a layup to take a two point lead with nine seconds remaining.

The Bobcats leading scorer Azotam was held to just four points in the game and played only 13 minutes as he got caught in foul trouble early.

Quinnipiac outrebounded the Terriers 56-35 but also turned the ball over 18 times to just eight from St. Francis (5-7, 1-0 NEC).

Travis Nichols led the Terriers with 15 points off the bend, while Jalen Cannon grabbed eight rebounds and added 14 points.

The Bobcats held St. Francis to a 35.5 percent shooting from the floor and out rebounded the Terriers 56-35.

Quinnipiac will take on LIU Brooklyn Saturday at 3 p.m.