Quinnipiac University
Siena
Nikoline Ostergaard's 16 Second Half Points Carry QU Women's Basketball to 87-62 Victory at Siena
1/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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LOUDONVILLE, New York – After eight days off, it took longer than expected to shake the rust off for the Quinnipiac women's basketball team. Luckily for the Bobcats, a game is won over 40 minutes instead of 20 and Friday night's MAAC game at Siena proves this Quinnipiac squad can win games while not being at their best.
Quinnipiac's first half was a struggle as early foul trouble and Siena's zone defense caused some havoc but a brilliant 54-point second half effort carried the Bobcats to the 87-62 victory over Siena. The Bobcats' eighth straight win overall also gives Quinnipiac 15 victories in their last 16 games and extends QU's stranglehold in the MAAC standings (10-0).
Nikoline Ostergaard's (Vedbaek, Denmark) inspired effort in the second stanza led the way as she scored 10 straight points in less than three minute while either scoring or assisted on 10 more points in another three-minute span later in the half. The dominating second half for Quinnipiac turned into the Ostergaard show as the senior forward finished with 16 points (8-10 FG), all of which were scored in the second half, to go along with five assists and three steals.
Val Driscoll (Stoughton, Massachusetts) was the lone other Bobcat to score double figures as she picked up 10 points, four rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Driscoll has now reached double figure points in five straight games, over which the Bobcats have outscored their opponents by an average of 24 points.
On nights in which three of your senior studs in the starting lineup are held in-check, teams need their bench to pick up the slack. Three Preseason All-MAAC selections Samantha Guastella (Red Bank, New Jersey), Gillian Abshire (Washington, D.C.) and Jasmine Martin (Sicklerville, New Jersey) combined for just 12 points on 3-for-12 shooting but it mattered little in the final outcome as the Quinnipiac bench picked up the slack.
Quinnipiac's 10 subs tallied a season-high 49 points in tonight's victory, outscoring Siena's bench 49-8, the largest margin in a single-game for QU this season. Coach Tricia Fabbri's top-scoring bench in the MAAC saw all 10 subs score at least one point which is also another season-first for the top team in the conference standings.
Production came from all angles as Maria Napolitano (Cincinnati, Ohio) led the QU bench contingent with nine points while Adily Martucci (Waterford, Connecticut) and Jennifer Fay (Lynbrook, New York) added seven points each. Sarah Shewan (Russell, Ontario) and Brittany Johnson (Pickerington, Ohio) also picked up six points each. Fay rounded out her day with a career high six assists while Johnson's six points, including two big buckets in the first half, also set a new career high.
The first half of play had the undermanned Siena squad taking it to the Bobcats throughout a majority of the early going. Quinnipiac committed an uncharacteristic 11 first half turnovers and were affected by foul trouble as Abshire picked up her second less than seven minutes into the opening stanza.
Playing without their senior point guard for the final 13-plus minutes of the first half, Siena took advantage of the opportunity and built their lead to as many as 10 points. Trailing 26-16, the Bobcat bench provided Coach Fabbri with some crucially productive minutes as QU's subs whittled the Siena lead down to 27-24 just three minutes after the Saints had taken their largest lead of the game.
Abshire's foul trouble opened the door for Johnson, a freshman guard with 14 career points in 54 minutes, to make a profound impact on the outcome of the game. In her three first half minutes, Johnson hit two shots deep in the painted area to go along with two rebounds to instantly create a much-needed spark for the Bobcats. In the end, Quinnipiac closed out the half on a 17-7 run to whip away the 10-point deficit and set the stage for the game-deciding second stanza.
After dishing out a game-high three first half assists, Ostergaard decided it was time for her to take the game over coming out of the halftime locker room. With the defense continuing to allow her space to dribble, Ostergaard's mindset instantly turned as she scored 10 straight points for Quinnipiac in less than three minutes to open the second half.
The Denmark native put her highly advanced arsenal of spin moves in the post to good use as the Siena defense was left guessing on numerous occasions. After a quick sub-out, round two was no different as Ostergaard scored three more layups while also dishing out a pair of seeing-eye passes in the low post for wide-open Driscoll layups.
A tied score at halftime quickly turned into a 16-point lead for Quinnipiac midway through the half as the Bobcat bench closed out the dominating MAAC victory. In the second half alone, Quinnipiac's reserves outscored Siena's 32-2 while the Bobcats shot a season-high 68.8 percent (22-for-32) from the floor.
Siena was led by freshman Kollyns Scarbrough's 16 points while Tehresa Coles picked up 14 points, six rebounds and four steals in the loss. Six-time MAAC Rookie of the Week Margot Hetzke also tallied 13 points and six rebounds.
Quinnipiac has a quick turnaround as the Bobcats will be back in action on Super Bowl Sunday at Saint Peter's. The Bobcats' first matchup against the Peacocks this season is slated for 2:00 pm from the Yanitelli Center.
Contact: Maxx McNall; maxx.mcnall@quinnipiac.edu
