QU Women's Basketball Kicks Off 2014 Hall of Fame Women's Challenge Against Harvard
11/22/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Quinnipiac Bobcats (2-0, 0-0 MAAC) vs.
Harvard Crimson (1-1, 0-0 Ivy League)
Purcell Pavilion • South Bend, Ind.
Sunday, November 23, 2014 • 7:00 PM
All-Time Series vs. Harvard (D-I): 3-1 (1-0)
QU Last Five: 2-0
Harvard Last Five: 1-1
- QU Game Notes as a PDF
- Harvard Hall of Fame Women's Challenge Preview
- Free Live Video: WatchND.tv
- Live Audio: AM 1220 WQUN
(PxP: Bob Mortali) - Live Stats: QuinnipiacBobcats.com
QU OPENS HALL OF FAME WOMEN'S CHALLENGE WITH HARVARD
The Quinnipiac University women's basketball team (2-0, 0-0 MAAC) looks to build on their strong start to the 2014-15 season as they face Harvard (1-1, 0-0 Ivy League) on Sunday in the opening night of the 2014 Hall of Fame Women's Challenge. In the tournament, the Bobcats will challenge regional foes Harvard, Holy Cross and the reigning national runner-up Notre Dame from Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Ind. All three games at Notre Dame will be streamed live for free on WatchND.tv.
ON THE AIRWAVES
WQUN will provide live audio for the game. The audio link provided above is for internet only. Bob Mortali has the call as the lone play-by-play broadcaster for all three games in South Bend.
SCOUTING THE CRIMSON
Harvard registered its second straight 20-win campaign, posting a 22-8 record in the 2013-14 season. The Crimson accomplished several milestones last season, as head coach Kathy Delaney-Smith became the all-time winningest Ivy League head coach (518 wins). Harvard also earned the Ivy League's first-ever postseason at-large berth, advancing to the second round of the WNIT. Two games into the 2014-15 season, Harvard stands at 1-1 after a 68-53 victory over Colgate and 63-62 loss to Boston University. The Crimson are led by their do-everything senior forward Temi Fagbenle who comes in averaging 14.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 1 block in 31 minutes per game. Three more Crimson average double figures in scoring as senior guard Kaitlyn Dinkins, junior forward Annmarie Healy and senior forward Erin McDonnell all come in with 10 ppg averages.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST HARVARD
These two regional foes have not played consistently against one another through the years as they've met just four times in the series history and just once since Quinnipiac became a Division I program in 1998-99. Their last meeting came back on Nov. 22, 2006 when the Bobcats handed the Crimson an 82-74 loss on the road. Overall, the Bobcats are 3-1 against the Crimson.
BLOWING UP
Quinnipiac's early season success continued on Tuesday as the Bobcats dominated Hampton, 87-59, at home to improve to 2-0 this season. The 28-point margin-of-victory for the Bobcats is their largest in a non-conference home win since Nov. 11, 2007 when Quinnipiac took down Brown, 85-41, from Hamden.
FABBRI CLOSING IN
Quinnipiac's all-time winningest coach in program history, Tricia Fabbri enters her 20th season manning the helm for the Bobcats. With an all-time record of 296-256 in 19-plus seasons, coach Fabbri needs just four victories to reach the 300 career win milestone. Four wins would put Fabbri into elite company as she would join Burt Kahn, Dan Gooley, Mike Quitko and Rand Pecknold as the only head coaches in any varsity sport at Quinnipiac to reach 300 wins.
IT ALL STARTS WITH DEFENSE
Quinnipiac's domination started on the defensive end as the Bobcats jumped out to a 28-5 lead more than 13 minutes into the game and limited the Lady Pirates to a 0-for-14 shooting performance to start Tuesday's contest. For the game, the Bobcats limited Hampton to just 24 percent shooting (18-for-75) as a team and also held the 2014 MEAC Rookie of the Year Malia Tate-DeFreitas to just 6-of-27 shooting (22.2 percent). Just three days removed from limiting Army's two-time defending Patriot League Player of the Year Kelsey Minato to 27.8 percent (5-for-18), the Bobcats once again shut down a dynamic offensive threat.
LOCKDOWN D
The Bobcats' stingy defensive effort against Hampton, holding the Lady Pirates to just 24 percent shooting, marks the worst shooting performance for a Quinnipiac opponent since the Bobcats held St. Francis (Pa.) to 23.6 percent all the way back on March 17, 2013 (36 games ago).
DOUBLE DIGITS ALL AROUND
Five Bobcats scored in double figures against Hampton (11/18), marking the first time Quinnipiac accomplished the feat since Jan. 15, 2013 (at Albany). Leading the way for the Bobcats was Jasmine Martin with 15 points, followed by Val Driscoll (12 points), Nikoline Osterguard (11), Jennifer Fay (11) and Samantha Guastella (10).
BLOCK PARTY
Samantha Guastella's two blocks against Hampton (11/18) pushed her career total up to 120. Currently sitting in second place in the Quinnipiac Div. I record books, Guastella needs just 30 more blocks to pass Kim Misiasek '01 for first place on the career list.
FOR THE FIRST TIME
Several career-firsts highlighted the victory over Hampton (11/18) as four Bobcats scored their first career points. Jennifer Fay led the way with 11 points while Sarah Shewan notched five and Tiffany Webster scored her first collegiate bucket on a layup with less than two minutes remaining. In addition, head coach Tricia Fabbri's freshman daughter Carly drained her first bucked on a three-pointer with 1:09 remaining.
HELPING HAND
Through two games in 2014-15, the well-balanced Quinnipiac offensive attack has produced 40 assists on 57 made field goals (70.2 percent). The highest scoring offense in the MAAC by nearly 10 points per game (83 avg/game), the Bobcats' established offensive tempo and supreme ball movement has led to the top ranking in points and assists in the conference.
GETTING ACLIMATED
Val Driscoll, the Bobcats' 6-foot-4 University of Michigan transfer, made her Quinnipiac debut against Army (11/15) and chipped in 13 points (6-10 FG), four rebounds, two blocks and one assists. Her 13 points is the second-highest total Driscoll has scored in 57 career games played while the two blocks represent her 23rd multi-block game. In her final collegiate season, Driscoll has amassed a multi-block game in 39.7 percent of her career games played (23-of-58). Driscoll followed that up with 12 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals against Hampton (11/18).
THE DOUBLE DIGIT DANE
The Denmark native Nikoline Ostergaard really turned it on in the second half against Army (11/15) as she netted 13 of her 18 points coming out of the locker room. Ostergaard was a perfect 3-for-3 from the floor and 7-for-7 at the free-throw line on her way to the 13-point half, nine of which was scored in the final six minutes of play. She followed that up with another 11 points (3-6 FG, 5-6 FT) against Hampton (11/18). Since Ostergaard's first double digit scoring game on Nov. 24, 2012, the Bobcats own a record of 12-4 in the 16 games in which she has scored at least 10 points.
INSTANT SUCCESS
Quinnipiac won its third straight season-opener with the Bobcats' victory over Army (11/15), including the last two at home. The victory also moved Quinnipiac to 6-3 in season-openers over the last nine seasons.
STACKING UP IN NEW ENGLAND
Head Coach Tricia Fabbri's .737 overall winning percentage since the start of the 2011-12 season is second-best among active Division I Coaches in New England, only trailing UConn's Geno Auriemma (.924) who also owns the best winning percentage in the history of NCAA Div. I women's basketball. (Winning percentage among coaches with at least one season at respective institution)
JUST A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING
Nikoline Ostergaard scored a game-high 18 points against Army (11/15) to go along with eight rebounds, five assists and one steal in 27 minutes. For the senior forward, it was the second-highest scoring game of her career, second-highest rebounding total and tied for the most assists in a single-game as a Bobcat.
CENTURY MARK
Gillian Abshire made her 100th consecutive start on Saturday against Army as she has yet to miss a game in her four-year career with the Bobcats. Currently on pace to break Quinnipiac's all-time games played record of 129, the senior point guard and three-time team captain has a chance to become not only the most durable player but also the winningest in program history.
ABSHIRE'S ALONE AT THE TOP
Gillian Abshire already has 493 career assists which has her atop the leaderboard for most assists during a Division I career at Quinnipiac. Abshire ranks second all-time and only trails Maria Holland '86 (681) for the most in program history. She established a QU Division I program record of 14 assists against American (11/23/14) which she nearly matched late last season with 13 helpers at Marist (2/14/14). In 2013-14, she broke Quinnipiac's 32-year-old single-season program record as she finished the season with 233 assists.
MILESTONE WATCH
The Bobcats' game against Harvard will mark the 100th in the career of Jasmine Martin while the senior guard currently stands just 13 points from becoming the eighth player in Quinnipiac's Division I history to reach 1,300 career points.
PLAYING THE PERCENTAGES
It's hard to image a better start to the 2014-15 season for the Bobcats than their performance on Saturday as Quinnipiac shot 50.9 percent (29-for-57) from the floor, 40 percent (6-for-15) from three and 68.2 percent (15-for-22) from the charity stripe. The Bobcats had just one game last season (March 1 @ Manhattan) in which the team shot 50 percent or better from the floor, 40 percent from long range and 65 percent at the line.
SWEET STROKE SAMMY
Samantha Guastella came up big for Quinnipiac with 13 of her 15 points coming in the first half against Army (11/15). Coming off All-MAAC Preseason honors, Guastella did nothing to disprove believers as she drained a game-high three three-point field goals as she finished the afternoon 3-for-4 from three and 5-for-6 from the floor. After establishing a new single-season program record for made three pointers (70) in 2013-14, Guastella is well on her way to improving upon her spot in the record books.
SOPHOMORE SENSATION(S)
Quinnipiac's sophomore class, made up of guard Brianah Ramos and forward Morgan Manz, combined for a big game with 13 points (5-7 FG) coming off the bench against Army (11/15). The sophomore pairing tallied 13 of the Bobcats' 20 total bench points (65 percent) in the victory over the Black Knights.
SHUTDOWN D
Much praise should go to the defensive efforts of Nikoline Ostergaard and Jasmine Martin as the two Bobcats combined to limit Army's two-time reigning Patriot League Player of the Year Kelsey Minato to just 5-for-18 shooting and 2-for-9 from three point land. Even though the dynamic junior guard netted 18 points, Minato's lackluster 27.8 percent day shooting the ball helped lead to a 34.5 percent clip for the Black Knights in a stifling defensive clinic put on by the Bobcats.
TIED AT THE TOP
The Quinnipiac University women's basketball team tied with Marist for first place in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, released by the league office on Wed., Nov. 5. In addition to the poll, the Bobcats also tied with the Red Foxes for the most Preseason All-MAAC honorees (Jasmine Martin, Gillian Abshire and Samantha Guastella) with three from each program. Marist, the nine-time defending MAAC Champions, finished with five first place votes compared to Quinnipiac's four but the two teams tied with 112 points each. The 2014-15 MAAC Preseason Poll announcement marks the first time since Oct. 24, 2006 (seven straight seasons) that Marist has not been voted the consensus preseason favorite.
ANOTHER NATIONAL POSTSEASON APPEARANCE
Quinnipiac's trip to the 2014 WNIT Tournament marked its fourth national postseason appearance in its last seven seasons. The Bobcats earned its first appearance with a trip to Iona in the 2008 WNIT Tournament, made a second WNIT Tournament appearance in 2012 and Quinnipiac is still in search for its first national postseason victory.
20-20 VISION
With their win against Canisius in the MAAC Quarterfinals, the Bobcats claimed 20 wins in a season for the eighth time in program history. It's the third consecutive 20-win season, fifth time under the direction of head coach Tricia Fabbri and fifth time in the Division I era.
DISHING IT OUT
Gillian Abshire ranked 3rd in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.48). For the season, 'Boo' had 223 assists to only 64 turnovers. In the game against America on Nov. 23, Abshire collected a single-game program record 14 assists and only one turnover in one of the best performances of her junior campaign. Boo dished out five or more assists in 22 of Quinnipiac's 34 games (64.7 percent).
MAKING HER MARK
A dynamite go-to scorer, senior guard Jasmine Martin has now been named an All-Conference performer three straight seasons heading into her final campaign with the Bobcats. A double-digit scorer in all three years at Quinnipiac, Martin has a chance to become the only player in program history to have been named All-Conference and averaged double figures in all four seasons of her collegiate career.
SAM GUA-"STELLA" FOR THREE
Quinnipiac's breakout player from a year ago, senior forward Samantha Guastella comes into her final season as a Bobcat primed for another bump in her production. Newly honored as a Preseason All-MAAC honoree, Guastella is coming a season of career-highs across the board with 11.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting at a 43.9 percent clip from the floor. Her shooting prowess extended to three point land as she drained a single-season program record 70 three-pointers while shooting 37.1 percent from long range.
JUST IN THE NIK-O-LINE
An increase in playing time paid dividends last season senior Nikoline Ostergaard. After having been mostly a contributor off the bench in her first two seasons, Ostergaard played in all 34 games last season and also picked up the first four starters of her career. Armed with a 50.3 shooting percentage from the floor in 2013-14, Ostergaard ranked in the Top 10 amongst all MAAC players. She also posted one of the best games for any Bobcat last season as she tossed in a career-high 26 points on 13-of-19 shooting at Iona (1/25) which tied for the fourth-most made field goals in a single-game in program history.
LATEST SHIPMENT ARRIVAL: FROM MICHIGAN
One of the newest additions to the Quinnipiac program graduated from the University of Michigan in 2014. A 6-foot-4 center from Stoughton, Mass., graduate student Val Driscoll played three seasons at Michigan before deciding to finish her collegiate career as a Bobcat. Having missed the 2012-13 season due to injury, Driscoll transferred to Quinnipiac post-graduation to continue her education as a master's student while still holding one year of eligibility. Driscoll averaged 5.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks while appearing in all 34 games (29 starts) for the Wolverines.
SAYING GOODBYE
Quinnipiac was forced to say goodbye to one of the most talented players in program history as Brittany McQuain graduated in 2014 with the 6th-most points (1,439) and 2nd-most rebounds (1,109) as well as the most games played (129) of any player in program history. A two-time All-Conference player, McQuain signed a professional contract with DJK Brose Bamberg in Germany. She became the first Bobcat alumni to sign a professional contract since Ashlee Kelly '04 inked a deal 10 years ago in 2004.
