After making the return back to its home court, the Quinnipiac men’s basketball team was eager to face the reigning Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champions in Monmouth University. However, it was too little, too late for the Bobcats as they fell to the Hawks 91-72.
The Hawks leading scorer, Collin Stewart, erupted for 20 points. The fifth-year senior was a perfect 5-5 from beyond the arc. This offensive outbreak came as somewhat of a surprise, as he averaged a mere 5.2 points per game headed into the contest. Quinnipiac never found an answer for Monmouth’s high-powered offensive attack.
“It was an impressive performance by Monmouth,” Quinnipiac head coach Tom Moore said. “They shot the ball extremely well. They played with a real high IQ, a real sense of poise, really unselfish. They played to the preseason expectations.”
Moore’s high praise isn’t unwarranted. Monmouth was essentially a game away from making it into the NCAA Tournament last season. Six of its top seven players from last year returned as the senior leaders for the team this season.
Quinnipiac’s offense came into the contest averaging 73.8 points per game, while Monmouth wasn’t far behind at 73.2 points per game. However, the Bobcats defense had allowed an average of 85.8 points per game, compared to the Hawks average of 67.7 points per game. The differences showed today, as Quinnipiac’s offense was prone to turnovers.
“The start of the second half was horrendous, just horrendous. We made a really undisciplined play. First on offense, then on defense, then on offense,” Moore added.
The back and forth mistakes were evident for Moore’s squad, but it was the Hawks unstoppable offense that was the real dagger. Monmouth’s three-point prowess was one of the main reasons Quinnipiac never led throughout the game. In addition to Stewart, the team as a whole went 14-31 from downtown.
It was difficult for the Bobcats to find their footing after shooting just 30.3 percent from the field though the first half.
“We had a couple of shots, I thought several, that we have to make in that first half,” Moore said.
After lighting it up throughout the AdvoCare Invitational tournament, freshman Peter Kiss continued his strong play as he tallied 15 points. His guard-mate, freshman Mikey Dixon, also contributed 18 points including two three-pointers.
“I thought Mikey and Pete battled just like every game they’ve been in so far,” Moore said. “They’re young players, they battle.”
By the end of the contest, Quinnipiac had committed 18 turnovers which led to 26 points for Monmouth. The Bobcats would wind up connecting on just seven of their 27 three-point attempts. Moore knows that there is a lot to work on.
“We just don’t do anything great yet,” Moore said.
Quinnipiac will resume play when it faces off against the Marist Red Foxes this Sunday at 2 p.m.
