HAMDEN, CONN. - Monmouth rallied from a 16-point first half deficit to take a 48-47 lead with 7:33 left in the game, but Quinnipiac connected on 7-of-9 from the free throw line in the final two minutes of play to hold on for a 64-59 victory in Northeast Conference action on Thursday night in the TD Bank Sports Center. Monmouth, which had four players in double-figures, falls to 9-20 overall and 5-12 in the NEC, while competing in its 18th contest decided by five points or less on the year.

James Hett, who was 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, netted a team-high 15 points to go along with four assists and three rebounds. Ed Waite added 12 points and eight rebounds, while Mike Myers Keitt (11 points and three assists) and Marcus Ware (10 points) rounded out the Hawks' double-digit contributors.

Monmouth, which opened the game 4-for-4 from the floor as a team, grabbed an 8-2 lead on Waite's three-pointer, and held a 10-5 advantage on Ware's jumper from the top of the key, with 17:34 left.

Trailing by eight, Quinnipiac responded with a 15-2 run, capped by a 13-0 spurt to haul in an 18-10 lead with 12:37 remaining after consecutive Ike Azotam baskets in the lane. Phil Wait's post move ended the Bobcats' hold on the scoring after nearly five minutes, as the Hawks climbed within 18-12 with 12:15 on the clock.

The Hawks outscored QU 4-1 to pull within 19-14 on Waite's drive, but behind a pair of James Johnson's three-pointers, the Bobcats corralled a 27-16 lead with 6:44 remaining.

Another Ware jump shot made the tally 27-18, before QU scored the next seven, including three straight lay-ups from Justin Rutty, to take a 34-18 lead with 3:14 showing. After falling behind by 16, the Hawks answered with a 7-0 spurt over the final 1:44 of the stanza, highlighted by a Hett corner trey and two Waite free throws with 17 seconds remaining, to pull within 34-25 at the intermission.

Monmouth upped its run to 11-0 from the first half after four free throws started the final stanza, as the Hawks trimmed the deficit to 34-29 with 17:20 left, and a Waite jumper made the score 36-31 at the 15:47 mark.

Hett's three-point play with 13:41 remaining, coupled with a Jesse Steele free throw following a technical foul, allowed the Hawks to climb within 38-35. After the two sides traded three-pointers, Myers Keitt's fast break lay-up off a feed from Steele, made the score 41-40 with 11:05 left in the game.

After the Bobcats claimed a five-point lead, back-to-back treys from Hett and Waite in front of the MU bench, gave the Hawks a 46-45 edge with 8:40 remaining. A pair of Rutty baskets started a 7-2 spurt for QU, giving the Bobcats a 52-48 advantage with 6:00 showing, but a Ware foul shot made the tally 52-49 with 4:50 left.

QU upped its advantage to 55-49 on Rutty's three-point play, but the Blue and White climbed to within 55-51 on a Myers Keitt baseline jumper with 3:46 on the clock.

The Bobcats netted four of the game's next five points over a 1:40 span to grab a 59-52 lead with 2:05 left, and after a two missed MU three-pointers, the Hawks' Steele drilled a trifecta to trim the deficit to four points with 30.6 left in the contest.

Two Johnson foul shots with 19.9 ticks gave QU a 61-55 edge, and after two free throws from Dominique Langston put the Bobcats in front 63-56, Hett drained a three-pointer with 8.4 left to make the score 63-59.

After Monmouth called its final timeout, Deontay Twyman was fouled and hit a single free throw to account for the final tally.

Monmouth, which hit 41.7% from the field in the second half as part of its comeback, connected on 8-of-16 from three-point range, but was outrebounded 48-23 overall, while surrendering 18 offensive rebounds to QU.

The Hawks, who had a season-low tying seven turnovers, hit 11-of-16 from the free throw line.

Rutty, who collected his 39th career double-double, led Quinnipiac with 17 points and 17 rebounds.

Monmouth returns to action on Saturday, February 26, when the Hawks travel to Sacred Heart for their regular season finale at 3:30 p.m., in the Pitt Center.