HAMDEN, Conn. – The Lafayette men's basketball team will have 10 days to think about an answer after an 88-77 loss to Quinnipiac in Hamden, Connecticut on Saturday afternoon, sending the Leopards to the break for finals.

Early hot shooting from the home side proved to be the difference as the Bobcats made 10 of their first 17 from beyond the arc in the opening half to build an insurmountable lead. Lafayette made a push late and fought in the second half to stay within striking distance, but ultimately fell to 2-7 overall in the 2018-19 campaign.

Sophomore guards Justin Jaworski, Alex Petrie and E.J. Stephens were the bulk of the offense for the Maroon and White, scoring 19, 15 and 11 points, respectively. Quinnipiac's Cameron Young, entering the game as the home side's lone double-figure scorer at 17.8 points per night, led all scorers with a game-high 28 points, one of six Bobcats to finish in double figures offensively.

Lafayette won the battle on the glass, 28-26, but gave up a 22-12 edge in points off turnovers, committing 15 and forcing just 11. The Leopards went 9-of-18 from beyond the arc (50.0%) and 30-for-63 overall from the field (47.6%).

The first five buckets came from five different Lafayette players as an early 5-0 lead was answered and the game went through the first five minutes knotted at 11-11. Then, the Bobcats caught fire from the three-point line as their eighth three of the opening 10 minutes made it 28-17 with 9:57 to play.

Two more from the home side around the nine-minute mark made it 34-17, but Petrie's triple from the left corner with 8:18 remaining got it back to a 14-point deficit, 34-20. Quinnipiac continued to execute offensively, stretching its lead to 18 at 41-23 with four minutes left and kept the Leopards from pulling much closer into the intermission, leading 45-30 at halftime.

The Maroon and White pulled within 12 early in the second stanza on free throws from freshman Isaac Suffren and Stephens, but Quinnipiac responded, stretching its lead back to 17, 52-35, with 16:26 remaining. Lafayette's answer didn't materialize over the next five minutes as the Bobcats moved the edge out to 21, 63-42 with less than 12 minutes on the clock.

The game moved to the latter stages with Lafayette's comeback still in waiting as Quinnipiac led by 22, 68-46, at the under-eight timeout. That comeback got off the ground with less than three minutes to play as the Maroon and White fought back to within 10, but it was just too big of a deficit to overcome in not enough time, finishing with a final of 88-77.

Following finals week, the Leopards return to Kirby Sports Center for their final two non-conference contests of the season. Lafayette hosts Rosemont on Wednesday, Dec. 19 and Princeton on Friday, Dec. 21. Patriot League play begins on Wednesday, Jan. 2 when the Maroon and White travel across town to Lehigh for The Rivalry at 7 p.m.