QU Women's Basketball Back in Action at Temple on Sunday

Quinnipiac Bobcats (4-0) at
Temple Owls (2-1)
Date: Sunday, Nov. 27, 2016 | 2 PM
Location: McGonigle Hall | Philadelphia, Pa.
All-Time Series vs. Temple: Temple leads 2-1
Last Meeting: L, 64-62 (March 20, 2016 at QU – WNIT Second Round)

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LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL
The Quinnipiac women's basketball team looks to continue their unblemished start to the 2016-17 season with a huge non-conference showdown at Temple on Sunday. This newfound rivalry intensified significantly last season as the two sides met twice in Hamden with each team claiming a two-point victory. The Owls got the last laugh with a WNIT Second Round win, 64-62, in Hamden as Temple ultimately advanced to the WNIT Quarterfinals (just one season removed from a trip to the WNIT Semifinals).

SCOUTING THE OWLS

Temple (2-1) is a dynamic team with their only loss coming on the road to nationally-ranked Florida, 83-76
Like the Bobcats, Temple has been off since Sunday as the Owls have enjoyed a week of preparation and rest in the lead-up to the much-anticipated matchup
Employing a completely contrasting style to the Bobcats, Temple relies heavily on five players (three of which average at least 34 MPG)
Four players – Feyonda Fitzgerald, Tanaya Atkinson, Alliya Butts and Donnaizha Fountain – have combined for 149 of the team's total 188 field goal attempts (79.3 percent) in three games this season
A unique team in many ways, Temple tends to play at least four guards at all times who (other than Dommaizha Fountain at 6-feet tall) stand 5-foot-10 or shorter
Temple mixes it up on the defensive end consistently as the Owls played 2-3 zone, an extended press and man-to-man at times in their two matchups with the Bobcats last season
As a team, Temple averages 82.7 points per game which leads the American Athletic Conference (which includes UConn) and ranks 27^th in the nation
The Owls also stroke the three-point shot as Temple hits 38.9 percent of their three-point looks which ranks 35^th-best in the nation
Despite using a short bench, Temple pushes the ball consistently and finds open shots on the offensive end as the Owls shoot 43.6 percent (82-188 FG) as a team and 38.9 percent (21-54 3FG) from three-point range
Senior guard Feyonda Fitzgerald is one of the most talented and utilized players in the nation as she comes in leading the Temple offense with 20.7 points and 7.7 assists while also adding 6.3 rebounds per game
Fitzgerald leads the team in scoring and assists while she ranks second on the team in rebounds despite standing only 5-foot-7 at the point guard position
She also comes in shooting a team-leading 47.4 percent from the floor while hitting on 90.9 percent of her free throw attempts
The quarterback of a high-flying Temple attack, Fitzgerald ranks seventh in the nation in assists per game while she also ranks 35^th in scoring and 12^th in three-point percentage (60.0; 6-10 3FG)
Fitzgerald has dished out 23 of the Owls' 45 total assists on the season, accumulating more than half of the helpers for Temple in 2016-17 through three games
She is coming off a 19 point outing with nine assists against Florida but she did struggle from the floor (5-14 FG) and was forced into eight turnovers in 39 minutes
For as much attention as Fitzgerald demands on the offensive end, Tanaya Atkinson poses a massive threat as a number two scoring option as she comes in averaging 19.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals in a team-leading 34.7 minutes per game
Atkinson has an imposing all-around game as she does not have three-point range (three three-point attempts all season) but has the versatility to take opponents off the dribble and score in the low post
Leading the team in rebounding, Atkinson does a lot of her damage off the offensive glass as she leads the team in offensive rebounds (12) by a wide margin
Two more players come in averaging double figures, giving Temple four players who all average at least 13.3 PPG
Alliya Butts (13.3 PPG) is another volume scorer as she is tied with Fitzgerald for the second-most field goal attempts (38) while tied for the team-lead in three-point attempts (15) this season
Playing as a secondary point guard, Butts averages 3.3 assists per game while leading the team in steals per game (2.7)
Butts has struggled from the floor in three games to start the season as she is shooting 36.8 percent (14-38 FG) from the floor and 26.7 percent (4-15 3FG) from deep
An X-factor to watch for the Owls is Donnaizha Fountain who comes in averaging 13.3 PPG with 6.3 RPG in just 23.3 MPG
Fountain is shooting 46.7 percent (14-30 FG) for the season and 33.3 percent (5-15 3FG) from three-point territory
A shoot-first player, Fountain has played 70 total minutes this season and has not yet recorded an assist

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST TEMPLE

Temple holds the all-time lead in the series history with a 2-1 record
Quinnipiac fell in a heartbreaking WNIT Second Round meeting, 64-62, to the Owls back on March 20, 2016
Paula Strautmane (19 points (9-12 FG), eight rebounds, three blocks in 21 minutes) and Aryn McClure (17 points (6-11 FG), seven rebounds, four assists, five steals, four blocks in 30 minutes) dominated in that meeting
Despite holding Temple to 34.4 percent (21-61 FG) shooting and just 1-of-9 from deep (11.1 percent), the Owls held a massive edge in free throws (30-16) to overcome the poor shooting
Feyonda Fitzgerald led the way with 23 points (8-22 FG, 7-9 FT), five rebounds, four assists and four steals while playing all 40 minutes
Tanaya Atkinson added 16 points (4-8 FG, 5-6 FT) and 11 rebounds in 36 minutes to lead the way to victory for the Owls in the national postseason tournament contest
In the first meeting last season, Quinnipiac claimed a 58-56 victory despite shooting just 34.5 percent (20-58) from the floor and 29 percent (9-31 3FG) from three while committing 17 turnovers
Quinnipiac's defense led the way as Temple shot 38.3 percent as a team and 22.2 percent (4-18 3FG) from deep while attempting just nine free throws and committing 20 turnovers
Feyonda Fitzgerald was held to 13 points on 5-of-17 shooting (1-5 3FG) but she still managed six steals in 33 minutes
Prior to last season, the two sides had met just once as the first meeting came in the 2012 WNIT with Quinnipiac falling to Temple in the First Round, 75-60, in Philadelphia

VOTERS TAKING NOTICE
Voters are beginning to take notice of Quinnipiac and their 4-0 start to 2016-17 as the Bobcats earned the program's highest-ranking in the College Insider Mid-Major Poll at No. 4 on Tuesday. The following day, Quinnipiac claimed the No. 10 spot in the ESPNW Mid-Major Poll which marked just the second time in program history the Bobcats were ranked in the espnW.com poll. In the College Insider version, Quinnipiac has improved the most spots week-to-week of any team in the poll as the Bobcats vaulted up from No. 13 in the preseason poll to their current No. 4 position just two weeks into the season. The markup also is reflected in the total points as Quinnipiac checked in with 645 points this week compared to 345 in the preseason poll for a nation-leading +300 improvement.

SHOOTER'S TOUCH
Even with the 4-0 start, Quinnipiac struggled to find their shot in the first two games of the season as the Bobcats started the season just 36 percent (45-125 FG) from the floor and 26.8 percent (11-41 3FG) from three for 64.5 points per game. Those numbers have improved considerably in the last two games as the Bobcats have since shot 41.6 percent (57-137 FG) overall and 31.6 percent (18-57 3FG) from deep on their way to 77 PPG as a team.

FLIPPING THE SCRIPT
One of the most telling statistical trends all season for the Bobcats has been in the turnover department as Quinnipiac owns a +35 advantage (+8.8 per game; 16^th in the nation) in turnover margin through four games in 2016-17. The Bobcats have turned the ball over just 54 times while forcing the opposition into 89 turnovers (22.3 per game) which ranks 30^th in the nation. None of the four opponents for Quinnipiac have committed less than 20 turnovers in a single-game. The pressure-packed team defensive approach has translated directly into points as the Bobcats have outscored their four opponents 95-44 (+51) in points-off-turnovers for a per-game average of 23.8 compared to 11.0 for the opposition. In the last two games alone, Quinnipiac has outscored Holy Cross and Northeastern, 50-16 (+34), in points-off-turnovers while forcing the two teams into 47 turnovers.

THAT 70+ SHOW
Since the 2007-08 season, Quinnipiac is 119-15 (.888) in games wherein the Bobcats score 70 or more points, including a 13-1 mark in 2015-16 and 42-2 combined since 2014-15. During 2012-13 (18-0) and 2010-11 (8-0), the Bobcats rolled to undefeated records in each respective season when reaching the scoring plateau.

Quinnipiac's Record in Games Scoring 70+ Points Since 2007-08
Season                                                                 Record
2016-17                                                                 2-0
2015-16                                                                 13-1
2014-15                                                                 28-1
2013-14                                                                 14-6
2012-13                                                                 18-0
2011-12                                                                 9-3
2010-11                                                                 8-0
2009-10                                                                 5-2
2008-09                                                                 11-1
2007-08                                                                 11-1
Total (10 Seasons)                                                119-15 (.888)

BOY CAN THE BOBCATS PROTECT THE BALL
Even after the graduation of the program's all-time assists leader Gillian Abshire in 2015, Quinnipiac has prolonged their supreme proficiency with the ball. The Bobcats predicate smart passes and protecting the ball on offense and the stats certainly reflect that trend as Quinnipiac has produced a conference-leading assist/turnover ratio in two of the last four seasons while ranking Top 50 in the nation three times. Through four games in 2016-17, the pattern is already showing through as the Bobcats lead the MAAC and rank 20^th in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (1.37).

Assist/Turnover Ratio Last Five Seasons
Season	Games	W-L	Ast	APG	TO	TPG	A/TO	NCAA Rank	Conf Rank
2012-13	33	30-3	557	16.9	477	14.5	1.17	10th	1st (NEC)
2013-14	34	21-13	554	16.3	446	13.1	1.24	20th	2nd (MAAC)
2014-15	35	31-4	685	19.6	465	13.3	1.47	5th	1st (MAAC)
2015-16	34	25-9	523	15.4	507	14.9	1.03	51st	2nd (MAAC)
2016-17	4	4-0	74	18.5	54	13.0	1.37	20th	1st (MAAC)
Total	140	111-29	2393	17.1	1949	13.9	1.23

RETURN OF THE GOLD RUSH
Injuries forced Quinnipiac out of their rotation but now back at full strength, Quinnipiac has utilized their "Gold Rush" subbing strategy to the fullest extent. In this approach first developed in the team's 30-3 season in 2012-13, Quinnipiac chooses to sub five players in-and-out of the game at a time throughout entire 40-minute contests. Since making the move back to the traditional approach, Quinnipiac is averaging 77 PPG while shooting 41.6 percent, dishing out 21.5 assists and totaling 17 steals per contest. Of the 10 consistent "Gold Rush" players, not one is averaging more than 19 MPG while eight Bobcats are averaging at least 6.5 PPG. On the defensive end, Quinnipiac is holding opponents to just 57 PPG, 35.5 percent shooting, 17.2 percent from deep and just 19 assists to 47 turnovers for a miniscule 0.40 assist/turnover ratio.

UNDEFEATED RANKS
Quinnipiac's 4-0 record puts them in elite company as the Bobcats stand as one of just 48 teams in the nation that remains undefeated while they're one of just 12 mid-major programs to boast an unblemished record at this point in the season.

MARTUCCI HITTING HER MARK
The Bobcats' most-consistent performer all season has been Adily Martucci who comes in leading the team in scoring at 12 PPG through four games in 2016-17. Martucci has not finished a game with less than eight points while she leads the team in overall shooting (50 percent; 19-38 FG) and from behind the arc (46.2 percent; 6-13 3FG) while she is perfect (4-4) from the free throw line. She is doing all her damage despite playing just 24.8 MPG, putting up a season high 15 points in just 17 minutes against Northeastern (11/20).

MORGAN MAKING IT HAPPEN
Morgan Manz has taken a leading role this season for the first time in her career as she ranks second on the team in scoring at 11.3 PPG. She paved the way with 16 points while shooting an impressive 6-of-9 overall and 3-for-5 from three-point range in a 78-55 road victory over Holy Cross (11/16). Coming into the Bobcats' 63-60 road win over Dayton where she posted a game-high 19 points, Manz owned a career-best point total of 15 and bested that mark in consecutive games.

BIG MAAC AWARD
Aryn McClure started the season taking home the league's first MAAC Player of the Week honor of 2016-17 as well as the first of her career. She also took home College Sports Madness' MAAC Player of the Week award, sweeping the week in what was a masterful performance from McClure over the 2-0 week. McClure started with her fifth career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds to go along with four assists and a career high five blocks in the win over FGCU. She followed that up with 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks in the comeback win over Dayton, netting 11 of her 12 points in the second half.

WHAT A WIN!
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, in Ohio on Sunday, Nov. 13. 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.

TURNAROUND FOR THE AGES
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. 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.

SPLASH ZONE
The lynchpin behind the victory over Dayton was a career game from Morgan Manz as she posted a monster total going for a career high 19 points (7-15 FG, 3-9 3FG) in a career best 31 minutes which included 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.

RESUME BOOSTER
Now 4-0 on the season, Quinnipiac opened 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 (FGCU: 246-52; Dayton: 207-82), 50.3 wins per season (FGCU: 27.3; Dayton: 23), 77.1 winning percentage, 10 conference titles and five NCAA Tournament victories in the last nine seasons (since 2007-08).

MISSION COMPLETE
After a pair of thrilling meetings in the two seasons prior, the Bobcats finally broke through against Florida Gulf Coast as Quinnipiac dominated defensively in a 66-56 season-opening win at home over the fellow mid-major power. In a matchup pitting two programs ranked in the College Insider Mid-Major Poll, then-No. 13 Quinnipiac put on a defensive clinic in holding then-No. 7 FGCU to just 20-of-61 shooting from the floor and 12 percent (3-25 3FG) from three. Quinnipiac's defensive outing from the three-point line is commendable considering FGCU ranked sixth in the nation with 9.3 made three-pointers per game in 2015-16.

BALANCING ACT
Quinnipiac employed a well-balanced stat sheet that saw three Bobcats – Adily Martucci, Aryn McClure and Brittany Johnson – each finish with 14 points in the win. Martucci shot well all day going 6-for-12 from the floor while McClure was solid all around with 14 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and five blocks (fifth career double-double) and Johnson's 14-point night represented a career high for the junior guard.

HOME LOVIN
The TD Bank Sports Center, home of the Quinnipiac Bobcats, has long been one of the most difficult arenas to play at in the country. Since the 2012-13 season, Quinnipiac owns a record of 54-6 (.900) in games played at home. In just the last three seasons (since 2014-15), Quinnipiac owns a mark of 29-2 (.935). That mark easily ranks as the best in the MAAC while it also places them with the 13th-best home win percentage in the nation over the last three seasons. The Bobcats' 14-0 mark at home in 2014-15 made them one of just 14 teams in the nation to finish with an undefeated home record.

THE ULTIMATE CLOSERS
Quinnipiac has enjoyed a great deal of success over the past three seasons when building a first half lead. Currently 2-0 in 2016-17, the Bobcats finished the 2015-16 season 19-0 in games in which the Bobcats lead at halftime and are riding a 45-game winning streak since the start of the 2014-15 season in games that Quinnipiac holds the halftime lead. The last game in which Quinnipiac led at halftime and lost was the 2014 MAAC Championship Game to Marist.

THE 2015-16 REGULAR SEASON
Quinnipiac finished 22-7 overall and 17-3 in league play to earn the 2015-16 MAAC Regular Season Championship and the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament. Quinnipiac clinched its second straight MAAC Regular Season title with a win over Iona in a winner-take-all regular season finale. The regular season title was the Bobcats' third in the four years dating back to the 2012-13 campaign where Quinnipiac was crowned the NEC Regular Season Champions. The Bobcats became just the second MAAC team, joining Marist in 2004-05, to start their conference schedule with three losses and win the remainder of their games to take home the MAAC Regular Season title outright. Quinnipiac entered the MAAC Tournament winners of 17 straight games which was the sixth-longest streak in the nation.

HIGH-POWERED OFFENSIVE ATTACK
Quinnipiac's coaching staff has long preached an up-tempo offensive system and the stats certainly reflect its success as the Bobcats have led their respective conference in scoring offense and assists in four of the last five seasons. Starting in the final two years of the Northeast Conference, Quinnipiac averaged an NEC-leading 67.9 points per game in 2011-12 and 70.5 PPG in 2012-13. That success carried over since joining the MAAC as the Bobcats ranked second in the league at 73.4 PPG in 2013-14 before leading the way again in 2014-15 with a league-record 78.5 PPG as well as 67.5 PPG in 2015-16. Over the last five seasons, Quinnipiac's cumulative scoring average is 71.6 PPG while the team dishes out 16.6 assists per game across the 168-game span.

Scoring Offense Last Five Seasons
Season	Games	W-L	Pts	PPG	Ast	APG
2011-12	32	22-10	2173	67.9	470	14.7
2012-13	33	30-3	2327	70.5	557	16.9
2013-14	34	21-13	2494	73.4	554	16.3
2014-15	35	31-4	2749	78.5	685	19.6
2015-16	34	25-9	2294	67.4	523	15.4
Total	168	129-39	12,037	71.6	2789	16.6

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QU Women's Basketball Back in Action at Temple on Sunday

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Players Mentioned

Brittany Johnson

Morgan Manz

Adily Martucci

Aryn McClure

Paula Strautmane

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QU Women's Basketball Back in Action at Temple on Sunday

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Players Mentioned

Brittany Johnson

Morgan Manz

Adily Martucci

Aryn McClure

Paula Strautmane

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