HAMDEN — It was a tale of two halves for the Quinnipiac men’s basketball team, as they completed a second half comeback to defeat the University of Massachusetts Lowell River Hawks 75-71 on Saturday afternoon.
The win moves Quinnipiac to 8-3 on the year, extending its win streak to four games as they conclude its non-conference schedule.
“We found a way to win a basketball game,” head coach Tom Pecora said. “I knew their physicality was going to be a problem for us and it was. ”
A major part of that early and sustained success has been contributions from sophomore guard Jaden Zimmerman. The Bronx, N.Y. native currently leads the team in scoring but went down with a foot injury last week in practice.
With Zimmerman out, senior forward Amarri Monroe stepped up. Monroe would record his second highest point total of the season with 22, as well as his third double-double of the season and second in as many games.
“He’s the total package,” Pecora said. “He’s capable of doing that every night.”
Monroe felt like the only bright spot on the Quinnipiac squad in the first 15 minutes. The Bobcats struggled to move the ball around creating some difficulties from range, going zero for four from the three-point line for the first 15 minutes of play.
Despite their struggles from deep, the Bobcats used their physicality to dominate in the paint and stay within striking distance for the entirety of the first 20 minutes. Monroe thrived inside with eight of his 12 total first half points coming from inside the key.
On the defensive side of the ball, Quinnipiac struggled to neutralize the three pointer for the first 20 minutes, it felt like the River Hawks just could not miss from range. Every single time Quinnipiac was able to get its way to the basket, UMass was able to find an opening and answer right back. The River Hawks ended the first half shooting six of 10 from the three point line.
In the second half, Quinnipiac would tune up its mistakes and play a complete 20 minutes of basketball.
On offense, the Bobcats would go on a seven for three run in the opening five minutes of the half off contributions from Monroe and senior guard Asim Jones, capping it off with a three pointer from freshman guard Samson Riley.
That longball would give Quinnipiac the lead for the first time in the contest. Refusing to relinquish it, the Bobcats went on yet another 11 for two scoring run, beginning with a longball from Jones and emphatically ending with a Monroe dunk.
Defensively, the Bobcats would use their size and strength to control the glass both offensively and defensively. Key contributors to that success on the boards were Monroe and sophomore forward Grant Randall each finishing the night with a double-double and twenty combined rebounds.
“It becomes two guys fighting for every rebound,” Pecora said. “You’re going to win a lot of basketball games when you can do that.”
Despite letting the lead slip from their fingers, the River Hawks refused to go down without a fight, shrinking the Quinnipiac lead from eight to three with under a minute to go in the half. However, fouls from junior guard Xavier Spencer made any comeback from Lowell that much harder.
Two sets of made free throws from Jones and Monroe gave Quinnipiac the insurance scores it needed to seal its victory.
The team now begins a road trip against two Colonial Athletic Association opponents, starting with the Monmouth Hawks on Wednesday, Dec. 17.
“They are going to be challenging,” Pecora said.
Tip off is scheduled from West Long Branch, New Jersey for 7 p.m.
