Quinnipiac University
Canisius
QU Women's Basketball Holds Off Canisius, 88-85, in Overtime Thriller on Senior Day
2/15/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
- Box Score
- Season Stats
- Quinnipiac vs. Canisius - Game Replay
- MAAC Women's Basketball Standings
- Photos of Senior Day Ceremonies & QU vs. Canisius
- Video Highlights of QU vs. Canisius
HAMDEN, Connecticut – Forget the frosty winter conditions coursing throughout Connecticut, the Quinnipiac women's basketball team weathered a Canisius storm that had its sight set on an upset.
Trailing by three points with under 10 seconds remaining, Jasmine Martin came through on Senior Day with a game-tying three-pointer from distance to send the game into overtime. In the extra stanza, Nikoline Ostergaard came through with back-to-back makes at the free throw line with 25 seconds remaining before the Bobcats came up with a clutch defensive stand to ice away the 88-85 victory at the TD Bank Sports Center. Quinnipiac (23-3) wins their 13th straight game in dramatic fashion to remain unbeaten in MAAC play (15-0) and at home (13-0) this season.
Even though the game ended in another Quinnipiac victory, the game didn't play out as all the all 12 home games prior to Sunday. The Bobcats had won their previous 12 home games by an average of 23.7 points per game and had both an undefeated conference and home record standing on the line heading into their matchup with the Golden Griffins.
Canisius (8-17, 6-10 MAAC), a team that came in averaging a tick over 61 points per game entering the day, put on an offensive clinch against the first place Bobcats. As a team, Canisius shot 59.6 percent (34-for-57) from the floor and a blistering 61.1 percent (11-for-18) from three-point land, both of which easily break the previous season-highs for the Golden Griffins.
Despite leading all throughout the first half, including a game-high 13-point lead with close to four minutes remaining in the opening stanza, Quinnipiac couldn't gain separation as the gritty Canisius squad mounted a 10-3 run that gave QU just a six-point lead at halftime, 36-30.
After forcing 10 Golden Griffin turnovers midway through the first half, Quinnipiac's press defense began to show some holes as Canisius carried the momentum into the second half where the points came fast and furious. Canisius shot a staggering 72 percent (18-for-25) in the second half while missing on just one of their eight three-point attempts (87.5 percent from three) on their way to a 47-point second half effort. The Golden Griffins controlled the pace of play and opened up a four-point lead, 75-71, with just 1:29 remaining. What Canisius didn't expect, however, was a resounding answer from the still undefeated Bobcats.
Trailing by three with 1:11 left, Coach Fabbri's defensive replacements Shaina Earle and Maria Napolitano energized the crowd, forcing Canisius into a crucial turnover at midcourt. Ostergaard then buried a layup in the face of Golden Griffin defender but Canisius came right back with a Crystal Porter two-pointer that came off a beautifully executed out-of-bounds play.
Coach Fabbri chose not to call timeout, allowing Gillian Abshire to push the ball full court before sending a drop pass to Martin at the wing. With no time to spare, Martin didn't hesitate as she received the pass and went right up for her game-tying attempt that hit nothing but net on its way down.
With the crowd screaming at a fever pitch and the Bobcat bench all on their feet, QU got the stop it needed as Samantha Guastella knocked the ball away from Kayla Hoohuli to send the game into overtime with the score deadlocked, 77-77.
In the overtime period, the Bobcats' first of the season, Quinnipiac and Canisius remained hot from the floor as buckets were traded back-and-forth throughout the first four minutes of overtime.
A costly Bobcat turnover with 37 seconds remaining resulted in a two-on-one break for the Golden Griffins but Guastella played perfect defense as the lone QU defender, forcing a Porter miss from two feet away from the rim.
Ostergaard hustled back for the defensive rebound, was fouled on the play and then buried both free throws to spot QU a two-point lead, 87-85. Canisius had two opportunities to tie the score late but Tiahana Mills missed a 10-foot floater and Hoohuli's game-tying three attempt with five seconds left clanged off the rim, sending the QU stands into full celebration.
The thrilling last-minute victory pushes the Bobcats' magic number down to just one with five MAAC games remaining. One more victory would clinch Quinnipiac the MAAC regular season title and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming MAAC Tournament.
The Bobcats' senior-laden starting lineup came up big on Sunday as the QU started combined for 63 points, including the last 29 points scored for Quinnipiac. The winningest senior class in program history, honored prior to the start of today's game, certainly proved their metal with an awe-inspiring performance in the victory.
Val Driscoll (Stoughton, Massachusetts) and Ostergaard (Vedbaek, Denmark) tied for the team-lead with 18 points apiece. Driscoll's 18 points came on a perfect 7-for-7 effort from the floor and 4-for-5 at the line to go along with eight rebounds and two blocks. Driscoll became the first player in QU Div. I history to finish 100 percent from the floor with at least seven made field goals. Ostergaard, meanwhile, was the go-to player when the Bobcats needed a basket as she finished 4-for-7 overall but also finished with a pair of career highs including 10 free throws and eight assists.
Martin (Sicklerville, New Jersey) finished with 13 points but none were bigger than the huge three that sent the game into overtime. Abshire (Washington, D.C.) continues to play inspired ball at the point guard position, chipping in six points, five rebounds and four assists to go along with no turnovers. In her last 10 games, Abshire has finished with no turnovers in eight of those games as she has tallied 59 assists against just five turnovers (11.8 assist/turnover ratio) in that span.
The Bobcat bench came up with 25 points including nine from Martucci (Waterford, Connecticut), six from Jennifer Fay (Lynbrook, New York), four each from Napolitano (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Sarah Shewan (Russell, Ontario) and two from Brianah Ramos (Montgomery, New York).
Quinnipiac hits the floor again on Thursday at 11:00 am against Saint Peter's for their final game at home in the 2014-15 season. Thursday's game is also the first annual Kids Day at the Bank, an event established by the MAAC. The annual event allots each women's basketball program to select one home conference game each season to start in the early morning, allowing elementary and middle school children the chance to watch their local team in action.
Contact: Maxx McNall; maxx.mcnall@quinnipiac.edu
