QU Women’s Basketball Powers Past Florida Gulf Coast, 66-56, in 2016-17 Opener

Friday, November 11

Hamden, CT

2:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

1-0

Florida Gulf Coast

0-1

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Florida Gulf Coast	11	16	9	20	56
Quinnipiac	13	13	20	20	66

QU Women’s Basketball Powers Past Florida Gulf Coast, 66-56, in 2016-17 Opener

11/11/2016 5:52:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Live Audio - AM 1220 WQUN Live Stats Live Video Purchase Tickets Men's Basketball Game Notes vs. Vermont

Bobcat Defense Leads the Way to Victory in Clash Between Mid-Major Powers

By: QU Sports Information

HAMDEN, Connecticut – Revenge certainly was on the mind of the Quinnipiac women's basketball team on Friday afternoon as the Bobcats opened the 2016-17 season with a 66-56 victory over Florida Gulf Coast from the TD Bank Sports Center.

Add another storybook to what has become an annual barnburner between these two sides as the third meeting in three seasons ended for the first time in a Quinnipiac victory. The two prior meetings against the Eagles both came down to the wire – including a 71-70 overtime loss to FGCU down in Fort Myers, in a game that saw back-to-back three-pointers with less than one minute to go sink the Bobcats in the extra stanza.

This year's edition was dominated on the defensive end as the Bobcats held FGCU to just 56 points and 35.7 percent shooting (20-56). Managing a defensive game plan focused on taking away the Eagles' greatest strength, Quinnipiac played the FGCU shooters tight and limited the lethal shooters to just 3-for-25 (12 percent) on three-point attempts throughout the game.

The Bobcats trailed 27-26 at the break as their offensive game needed some time to get going in the season opener. With neither side gaining more than a five-point advantage in the first 20 minutes of play, Quinnipiac found their offense early in the third quarter as Paula Strautmane (Riga, Latvia) connected for an and-one to open the frame followed by an Adily Martucci (Waterford, Connecticut) three-pointer to give the Bobcats a lead they wouldn't relinquish for the remainder of play.

As FGCU continued to hover and stay within a five-point margin of the lead, Quinnipiac put together a crucial 5-0 run that put the Bobcats ahead 46-36 heading into the fourth quarter. The 10-point margin was made possible following a thrilling sequence in which Martucci and Strautmane combined for three offensive rebounds before Strautmane kicked back out to a wide open Aryn McClure (Springfield Gardens, New York) who buried the jumper. Three free throws in the final minute of the third created much-needed breathing room for Quinnipiac in holding off an FGCU squad coming off a 2015-16 season in which they advanced to the WNIT Championship Game.

As it turned out, that 10-point lead proved just enough of a cushion for the Bobcats as the Eagles found their offense and went on a 13-6 run to start the fourth quarter that cut into the Quinnipiac lead, making it 52-49 with 6:45 remaining.

With frequent substitutions bring made throughout the Bobcat lineup all game long, head coach Tricia Fabbri managed to find a career high 34 minutes for her redshirt senior Martucci and the move paid strong dividends late as she canned a pair of jumpers including one with five minutes remaining that put an end to a 5-0 FGCU run.

After Brittany Johnson (Pickerington, Ohio) made a pair of free throws to put the Bobcat lead back up to five points, Martucci splashed in the dagger with a three-point make on the wing with 3:33 remaining that built the lead back up to 10 points which ultimately stood as the final margin.

Three players tied for the team-lead in points for the Bobcats on the day as Martucci, Johnson and McClure each posted 14 points in the victory. Each shot the ball well as Martucci went 6-for-12 from the floor and 2-of-3 from deep, McClure finished 5-for-11 and Johnson was very efficient in going 4-for-7 overall, 2-of-3 from three and 4-of-5 at the free throw line. The three-player combo combined to shoot 15-for-30 (50 percent) overall while the six other Bobcats to see the floor finished 7-for-26 (26.9 percent).

McClure posted a great all-around stat line as the sophomore tallied 14 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two blocks in 29 minutes. Strautmane was solid in the low post as well as she added nine points, six rebounds (five offensive) and two assists in just 19 minutes of action due to foul trouble.

Quinnipiac's defense – especially from the three-point line – proved the biggest difference in the end as the Bobcats held an FGCU squad that ranked sixth in the nation last season in made three-pointers per game (9.5) to just 3-for-25 shooting from behind the arc.

The Eagles were led by Rosemarie Julien who tallied a game-high 16 points (4-8 FG, 7-7 FT) while Erica Nelson and Haley Laughter each added 11 in defeat.

Ranked No. 13 in the College Insider Mid-Major Poll, Quinnipiac proved capable in a matchup that pitted an FGCU squad ranked No. 7 in the mid-major poll. The Bobcats also move to 28-2 (.933) at the TD Bank Sports Center since 2014-15, a mark that sits among the Top 15 in terms of win percentage in the nation over that span.

Another huge mid-major clash looms for the Bobcats in a quick turnaround as Quinnipiac will fly to Ohio to take on the Dayton Flyers on Sunday at 2 PM from the UD Arena.