The Quinnipiac men’s basketball team suffered its first loss of the season Monday, falling 101-82 at UMass. Despite a strong start and some individual bright spots, the Bobcats struggled to keep pace with the potent Minutemen offense.
The game started with promise for Quinnipiac, with graduate student guard Matt Balanc making a tough layup and drawing a foul early on, cutting a slim deficit to just one heading into the first media timeout. Sophomore forward Amarri Tice led the scoring for the visitors early, while graduate student guard Savion Lewis shone in his role, assisting on every Quinnipiac bucket in the early stages.
However, struggles were evident elsewhere, particularly for junior guard Doug Young, who — after a difficult game against CCSU — continued to have difficulty in finding his rhythm.
As the first half progressed, UMass began to assert its dominance, particularly from behind the arc. The hosts went 7-18 from deep in the first frame, surpassing their average of six per game last season in just 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, Quinnipiac’s offense hit a snag, not scoring for over three minutes, and trailing 23-19 with just over 10 minutes left in the half. The end of the first half saw the Minutemen pull away further, hitting five of their last seven shots to take a 45-36 lead into the break.
Quinnipiac’s challenge heading into the locker room was clear – it needed to find a way to disrupt UMass’ shooting rhythm, all while finding its own offensive momentum. Seven different Bobcats scored in the first half, but it wasn’t enough to close the gap.
The second half only intensified the Bobcats’ struggles. UMass, maintaining its hot shooting streak, went 15-22 from the field, extending the lead to 19 points.
Quinnipiac, in contrast, seemed rushed and undisciplined in its offensive half, hitting just one of its last nine shots at one point.
The situation worsened when freshman forward Rihards Vavers, already playing with a mask, took an inadvertent shot to the head and had to leave the floor.
With just over three minutes to play and down by 20 points, head coach Tom Pecora decided to pull most of the starting players. The game ended with UMass securing a decisive 101-82 victory.
101 points is the most points Quinnipiac has given up since Feb. 17, 2018 when it gave up 102 points in an overtime loss to Fairfield.
For Quinnipiac, Tice (13 points, 5-6 FG) and senior forward Richie Springs (12 points, 5-5 FG) were the standout performers on an otherwise tough night.
The Bobcats are back in action on Nov. 17 at 5 p.m. when they travel to West Point, New York, to take on Army.
