Quinnipiac University
Saint Joseph''s
QU Women's Basketball Defeats Saint Joseph's, 69-67; Bobcats Advance to Face FGCU in Hawk Classic Championship
12/28/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The visiting Quinnipiac women's basketball team faced some stiff competition throughout but the Bobcats proved their mettle and pulled out a 69-67 victory in the 22nd annual Hawk Classic over the host Saint Joseph's on Sunday. Quinnipiac's (10-2, 2-0 MAAC) resume continues to improve as the Bobcats' victory is their seventh straight and also represents the fourth 2014 NCAA Tournament team the Bobcats have taken down this season. The Bobcats advance to the Hawk Classic Championship where they await to winner of Florida Gulf Coast and Cal State Northridge for a 4:00 pm tip on Monday from Saint Joseph's Hagan Arena.
The staggering amount of Quinnipiac faithful on-hand were rewarded with a pressure-packed contest as the Bobcats needed a defensive stand with 10 seconds remaining to pull out the two-point victory.
Leading by eight points with a little over two minutes remaining, the Bobcats were in prime position to coast to the victory. Turns out, Quinnipiac was up against it as they were facing a Saint Joseph's squad that pushed the deficit to just two points with 45 ticks remaining.
Coming out of the Quinnipiac timeout, head coach Tricia Fabbri called on her go-to scorer Jasmine Martin (Sicklerville, New Jersey) to do what she's done her entire four-year career. Armed with 1,427 career points, Martin drove the lane with every intention on scoring. As she jump-stopped to the block, Martin looked at the basket but then alertly gave off to a wide open Val Driscoll (Stoughton, Massachusetts) underneath who converted to put Quinnipiac ahead by four.
Driscoll's uncontested layup thanks to Martin helped the Bobcats immensely as Saint Joseph's answered back to cut the deficit to 69-67 with 22 seconds showing on the clock.
After Bobcats missed two straight free throws, Saint Joseph's had Quinnipiac right where they wanted them as the Hawks' star Natasha Cloud had the ball in her hands with a chance to win the game.
Cloud's 17 points, 13 assists and six rebounds at that point in the game spoke for itself but Quinnipiac's pressure defense paid off at just the right time as the Bobcats' double-team at the baseline forced Cloud into a game-deciding turnover.
The victory for the Bobcats is made more significant as the Hawks will not appear in the Hawk Classic Championship for the first time in the tournament's 22-year history.
An NCAA Tournament at-large berth in 2013-14, the Hawks talent was evident throughout but the Bobcats' balanced effort led by Samantha Guastella (14 points), Nikoline Ostergaard (11 points, eight rebounds, three assists), Gillian Abshire (10 points, four assists), Driscoll (nine points, eight rebounds, four blocks) and Martin (nine points, two assists) proved greater in the end.
Driscoll came up big for the Bobcats with eight points and three blocks in 15 second half minutes while Martin also keyed the clutch victory, scoring seven of her nine points in the second stanza. Quinnipiac's starters, comprised of four seniors and one graduate student, combined for an impressive 31 seconds half points as the five upperclassmen scored 93.9 percent (31-for-33) of the Bobcats' points in the final 20 minutes.
Back in the first half of play, Quinnipiac reeled off a 7-0 run in two minutes after subbing in the second unit of the Bobcats' "Gold Rush." Adily Martucci (Waterford, Connecticut) nailed a big three-pointer to finish off the run but the seven-point swing set the tone early as the Bobcats led for all but 45 seconds throughout the remainder of the first half.
Ostergaard (Vedbaek, Denmark) shined in a playmaking role as she netted seven points with four rebounds and two assists in the 13 first half minutes. Her contributions proved critical after Abshire (Washington, D.C.), ranked 6th in the nation in assists per game (6.4) heading into the game, was forced to the bench with two early fouls.
Foul trouble ran rampant for the Bobcats throughout the early stages of the second half as Saint Joseph's drew seven fouls just 4:27 into the second stanza.
Despite being saddled with the early foul trouble, Quinnipiac steadied their pressure defense and managed to convert on the other end as the Bobcats' 45.8 shooting percentage (11-for-24) bested Saint Joseph's 37.5 percent (12-for-32) by a wide margin.
Cloud's presence was felt on the other end the entire game as the Hawks' senior point guard finished with a monster stat line that included 17 points, 13 assists and six rebounds. Even with all the created offense, Quinnipiac forced Cloud into six turnovers which ranks as the second-most in a single-game for the Naismith Trophy candidate all season.
Quinnipiac's overall record of 10-2 continues to lead the MAAC while also matching the 2007-08 and 2012-13 seasons for the best 12-game start in program history. With an RPI ranking of 27 heading into Sunday's game, the highest recorded in program history, Quinnipiac will face another skilled opponent in FGCU (No. 5), the highest-ranked opponent in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 poll that the Bobcats have faced all season.
Contact: Maxx McNall; maxx.mcnall@quinnipiac.edu
