College Basketball Roundup: Quinnipiac earns double-overtime win; Hartford’s season comes to an end

Here’s a recap of Saturday’s men’s college basketball action from around Connecticut:

Quinnipiac 90, Rider 88 - 2 OT

Senior guard Matt Balanc rebounded his own missed free throw and put back a basket with 3 seconds left to help Quinnipiac edge Rider in double overtime in Hamden on Sunday. The Bobcats (19-9, 10-7/MAAC) now sit in fourth in the conference standings and are one victory away from reaching the 20-win mark, something the program hasn’t done since 2013-14. Junior guard Dezi Jones led the way with 28 points in Sunday’s victory. Balanc added 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Manhattan 73, Fairfield 72

Ant Nelson scored 23 points and Manhattan held off Fairfield, 73-72 on Sunday. Fairfield sophomore guard TJ Long led the Stags with 23 points off the bench, while junior forward Supreme Cook added 17. Fairfield dropped to 12-15 on the season and 8-9 in the MAAC with the loss. Manhattan moved to 8-8 in-conference and 10-15 overall.

Chicago State 75, Hartford 53

A strange, transitional season mercifully came to an end for the University of Hartford men’s basketball team on Sunday, as the Hawks lost 75-53 to fellow Division I independent Chicago State.

Hartford, which voted to transition its athletics programs from Division I down to the Division III level in 2021, left the America East conference and competed as an independent this season while operating mostly under Division III rules. The Hawks had just seven scholarship players on the roster and stumbled to a 5-23 record, which included just two wins over Division I opponents (Fairleigh Dickinson and Stonehill). They won just one of their final 18 games.