The Quinnipiac men’s basketball team looked for their second win of the season Monday night at the People’s United Center against the Holy Cross Crusaders, and they won 76-68.

The Bobcats were 1-3 vs. Holy Cross, with the last meeting in December of 2016 where Holy Cross took the win, 75-57. The Crusaders were coming off a 85-55 loss against Boston College, while the Bobcats were coming off a 103-52 win against Western New England. 

The Bobcats shot 55.7% from the floor against Western New England, which fueled the team’s energy going into Monday night. 

The Crusaders dominated the first half. With four players averaging 10+ points (Bo Montgomery (14.0), Kyrell Luc (13), Judson Martindale (12) and Malcolm Townsel (11.5)), it was no surprise the Bobcat defense was going to have to work hard. Martindale put up double digits in the first half leading the Crusaders into the half with a 43-38 lead over the Bobcats. 

Bobcats guard Dezi Jones’ 11-point effort wasn’t enough to push the Bobcats ahead before the half. 

The Bobcats looked to Tyrese Williams, who scored 17 points against Western New England, as well as Tymu Chenery and Kevin Marfo, to lead the team on the court. They took advantage of their points off turnovers totaling 16 for the game. 

Five Bobcats – Chenery, Jones, Marfo, Williams and Matt Balanc – had a double-digit night against the Crusaders, showing the depth of the team this year. The Bobcats shot 52.9% from the free throw line, 11-29 from the 3PT line and 44.4% from the field. Solid scoring by more than one member of the team shows promise for the team, one win at a time. 

Coach Baker Dunleavy was pleased overall how his team performed Monday night. 

“Overall, we had a lot of guys who want to contribute and that’s what we need to set the tone moving forward,” Dunleavy said.

Chenery, who led the team with 14 points, helped the Bobcats complete the comeback victory in the second half.

“I liked the mentality in the first half, but of course we got punched in the mouth,” Chenery said. “In the second half we found our groove back and found a way to win the game.”

The Bobcats look to continue their win streak at home taking on Central Connecticut State University at the People’s United Center on Nov. 20 at 1 p.m.