Bobcats Complete Largest Comeback Victory in Program's Div. I History
By: QU Sports Information
DAYTON, Ohio – Determination, heart, perseverance, grit and an unrelenting will to win. All qualities used to describe the make-up of a winner, were never more evident than in the performance put forth from the Quinnipiac women's basketball team on Sunday.
Trailing 17 points with 14:30 remaining, the Bobcats gutted out the largest comeback in the program's Division I history as Quinnipiac came-from-behind to defeat fellow mid-major power Dayton, 63-60. The 17-point Quinnipiac comeback sets a new Div. I record, one better than a 16-point margin overcome in a 68-61 overtime win over Robert Morris back on Feb. 19, 2000.
Playing in front of a ravenous home fanbase of nearly 2,000 strong cheering for a Dayton team just two seasons removed from a run into the 2015 Elite Eight, the Bobcats were all but out of it trailing 46-29 with 4:30 left in the third quarter. Suffering from severe foul trouble and poor shooting throughout, Quinnipiac could have very easily let the game slip away but Coach Fabbri's bunch weren't about ready to admit defeat. Adily Martucci's Go-Ahead Jumper with 1:21 Remaining
After shooting a paltry 11-for-41 (26.8 percent) overall up to the 4:30 mark of the third quarter, Quinnipiac was nothing short of incredible for the final 14:30 of play. Led by the senior tandem of Morgan Manz and Adily Martucci, the Bobcats finished 13-of-26 (50 percent) in what amounted to a 20-point swing (34-14 run) to end the game.
Fast forward to the fourth quarter where the Bobcats held their largest lead of the game, 57-50, In the midst of a crowd-silencing 28-4 run, Dayton countered with an 8-0 run to swing the lead and momentum back in favor of the home side with 1:41 left.
Trailing by one with the shot clock winding down, the ball swung to redshirt senior Martucci on the wing who called for her teammates to clear the lane. Going one-on-one against the Flyers' best player Jenna Burdette, Martucci faked a drive twice before stepping into a long jumper right in front of Burdette's face that hit nothing but net.
On the other end, Burdette scanned the lane and looked for a drive only to come away empty-handed. Being pressured heavily by the Bobcats' extended pressure zone defense, Burdette succumbed to a double-team on the near sideline and traveled before banking in a three-pointer that would've put her team ahead by two with 51 seconds remaining.
Now with an opportunity to create some much-needed cushion, Aryn McClure (Springfield Gardens, New York) backed her defender in the post before kicking out to the wing. Manz took the pass, beat her defender and pulled up in the lane for a critical make from nine-feet out that made it 61-58 Bobcats.
With time still remaining for Dayton, the Flyers tried to extend the game going for a bucket in the lane and the decision backfired as a pair of missed free throws from Kelley Austria and defensive rebound from Carly Fabbri (Stratford, Connecticut) stacked the odds heavily in favor of the Bobcats.
Needing at least one free throw make in a game wherein the Bobcats were just 9-of-20 (45 percent) up until that point, Fabbri iced it away swishing both attempts to make it a five-point margin with 7.3 seconds showing on the clock.
An inconsequential two Dayton free throws with 1.3 seconds came before Manz chucked the ball from the endline to halfcourt where McClure was waiting for the catch before being mobbed by her teammates following the final horn.
The lynchpin behind the victory was a career game from Manz as she posted a monster game with a career high 19 points (7-15 FG, 3-9 3FG) in a career best 31 minutes including a decisive bucket in the waning minutes to help seal the win. Eight of her game-high 19 points came in the fourth quarter including a pair of three-pointers and the huge jumper that put the Bobcats up three with 21 seconds to go.
Martucci played another terrific two-way game that saw her finish with 11 points and three steals in 30 minutes. After struggling in the first half shooting just 2-for-10, Martucci closed the game with gusto as the redshirt senior canned her final three shots including the go-ahead bucket in the final minute of play.
Sidelined with one point in eight first half minutes with two fouls, McClure made the most of her 18 second half minutes as she fired in 11 of her 12 points in the final two quarters while adding seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Going up against a pair of defenders – Saicha Grant-Allen and Alex Harris – both standing at least five inches taller than the Bobcats' sophomore forward, McClure did most of her damage at the free throw line finishing 6-for-10 at the charity stripe.
Playing big minutes at the point guard position, sophomore Brittany Martin (Sicklerville, New Jersey) responded with a big nine-point effort that saw her go 4-of-6 from the floor while dishing out three assists and committing one turnover. The nine points for Martin is tied for her third-most scored in 36 career appearances.
Armed with a pair of imposing players in the low post in Grant-Allen and Harris, Dayton struggled against the swarming 2-1-2 Bobcat zone defense as the Flyers committed 20 turnovers and saw their 6-foot-5 center Grant-Allen finish with just two points and three shot attempts in 17 minutes.
Coming out in a man-to-man defense, the Bobcats found themselves down 12-4 after just four minutes of play to start the game. As Dayton had the matchup advantage playing against the Bobcat defense, Quinnipiac switched to their extended 2-1-2 zone that immediately paid dividends and held the Flyers scoreless for 8:09.
The stifling defensive intensity allowed a slow-starting Quinnipiac offense the chance to tie the score at 12-12. Both teams traded the lead for much of the second quarter before a pair of Dayton baskets to end the first half, combined with a blitz to start the third quarter, saw the Flyers go on a 20-3 run. That +17 point advantage over the course of six-plus minutes set the stage for the largest comeback in the program's Div. I history.
Dayton's size helped lead to a 47-37 rebounding margin for the home side but the Bobcats won the offensive rebounding battle 14-12 fighting against a superior size advantage. Quinnipiac also forced Dayton into 20 turnovers while committing just nine on the offensive end which helped the Bobcats put up 16 more shots attempts (67-51) compared to their counterpart in the 40-minute contest.
The Flyers saw three players – Lauren Cannatelli (14), Austria (10) and Burdette (10) – hit double figures while JaVonna Layfield came three points shy of a double-double as she posted seven points and 10 rebounds to go along with three assists.
Now 2-0 on the season, Quinnipiac opens 2016-17 with two of their most impressive wins in program history. Starting with a 66-56 win over perennial mid-major power Florida Gulf Coast, the Bobcats' 63-60 road win over Dayton comes against a Flyer team that had won six consecutive Atlantic-10 Championships from 2010-15. Between the Bobcats' first two opponents, Quinnipiac defeated a pair of teams that have combined for 453 wins (Dayton: 207-82; FGCU: 246-52), .771 winning percentage, 10 conference titles and five NCAA Tournament victories in the last nine seasons (since 2007-08).
Quinnipiac comes in flying high to their next matchup which looms on Wednesday at 7 PM against Holy Cross. The Bobcats defeated the Crusaders, 74-61, at home last season.
