QU Women’s Basketball Announces 2016-17 Non-Conference Slate
8/15/2016 10:30:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Quinnipiac Will Host Michigan State (Dec. 6) and Appear in the Play 4Kay Shootout in Las Vegas (Dec. 19-21)
HAMDEN, Connecticut – The Quinnipiac women's basketball team released its 2016-17 non-conference schedule this afternoon which features 10 total contests including three at home, four road games and a spotlight appearance in the Play 4Kay Shootout held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas over winter break.
The Play 4Kay Shootout pairings have not been released but the eight-team tournament from Dec. 19-21 is loaded with a balance of high major powers as well as upper-tier mid-major programs. In the three-game tournament held in the brand new T-Mobile Arena set on the Las Vegan strip, the Bobcats will have the opportunity to face a field that includes Oregon State, Oklahoma State, South Florida, Santa Clara, UNLV, New Mexico State and Long Beach State. Among the eight-team field, four (Oregon State, Oklahoma State, New Mexico State and South Florida) advanced to the 2016 NCAA Tournament while three others (Santa Clara, Long Beach State, Quinnipiac) played in the 2016 WNIT. The Bobcats have never faced any of the seven potential opponents in the Play 4Kay Shootout lineup.
Prior to heading to Vegas, the Bobcats open the year with a pair of powerful mid-major foes in Florida Gulf Coast and Dayton. The 2016-17 season opens with a home matchup on Friday, Nov. 11 against the Eagles as the contest marks the third straight season in which two of the top mid-major programs in the nation will meet. Both prior meetings went the way of FGCU but each contest went down to the wire. The first all-time meeting came on Dec. 29, 2014 in the title game of the Hawk Classic that featured 10 ties and 12 lead changes, ultimately ending in a tight 71-65 decision. Last season's meeting was a heartbreaker for the Bobcats as back-to-back FGCU three-pointers with less than two minutes in overtime erased a two-point Quinnipiac advantage, eventually ending in a 71-70 victory for the Eagles.
A consistent power in the A-10, Dayton and the Bobcats are set to square off for just the second time as the first meeting came all the way back on Nov. 21, 1998 as the Flyers dispatched Quinnipiac in Ohio, 66-44, in what was the Bobcats' first season as a Div. I program. The two sides will meet again on Sunday, Nov. 13 in Dayton as Quinnipiac will look to gain a foothold over a powerful squad that saw their eight-year run of 20+ win seasons end in 2015-16. Last season, the Flyers put together their worst season (14-15 overall record) since they finished 12-19 back in 2006-07. During the eight year span from 2007-15, the Flyers advanced to the NCAA Tournament six straight seasons and are just two years removed from an Elite Eight run in 2015. The Bobcats will certainly have a keen scouting report on one Flyer as former Marist Red Fox Madeline Blais will be entering her redshirt senior season for Dayton after the two-time All-MAAC performer transferred following her junior year at Marist.
Two regional foes follow as the Bobcats head to Holy Cross on Wednesday, Nov. 16 before returning home to take on Northeastern on Sunday, Nov. 20. The meeting with the Crusaders marks the seventh straight season the two sides have faced off as the Bobcats stand with an all-time mark of 4-5. Rising senior Adily Martucci (Waterford, Connecticut) pumped in a game-high 18 points in last year's 74-61 home win over Holy Cross. Quinnipiac stands 3-4 all-time against Northeastern as the two sides met last season in Boston with the Bobcats coming away with the 71-60 victory. In that game, Brittany Johnson (Pickerington, Ohio) notched a career high 12 points as Quinnipiac pulled away in the third quarter to secure the comfortable victory.
Bobcat fans will be gifted another enticing matchup as a trip to Temple falls on Sunday, Nov. 27, bringing with it the potential for another thriller as these two sides met up for two of the most entertaining games of the 2015-16 season. Thanks to some lockdown defense, the Bobcats came away with a nail-biting 58-56 home win back on Nov. 24, 2015 over the Owls of the American Athletic Conference. Later on, a dominating home win over Maine in the WNIT First Round set up a rematch pitting the Bobcats against the Owls for the second time in 2015-16 from Hamden. Paula Strautmane (Mucenieki, Latvia) did everything she possibly could, finishing with 19 points (9-12 FG), eight rebounds, three blocks and two assists before fouling out after just 21 minutes of action, but timely free throws in the last minute sealed the 64-62 Temple win.
The home non-conference finale brings with it a momentous matchup as the Bobcats welcome Michigan State out of the Big Ten to Hamden for a 7 PM tip-off on Tuesday, Dec. 6. The Bobcats will be facing a Spartan squad coming off a 25-win campaign which stands as their most wins in a single-season since 2010-11. The 2015-16 Michigan State squad also featured a top five WNBA draft pick in Aerial Powers as the talent-loaded Spartan roster will make the trek to Hamden for the first time in program history. Welcoming the Spartans signifies just the third time Quinnipiac has hosted a 'power five' conference opponent as the last program to visit Hamden was Vanderbilt out of the SEC back on Dec. 10, 2009. Quinnipiac has faced five other Big Ten schools (Maryland, Iowa, Minnesota, Penn State, Rutgers) and are 1-4 in those matchups with the one victory coming over the Golden Gophers in the St. Mary's Concord Thanksgiving Classic back on Nov. 25, 2011. This marks the first time in program history that Quinnipiac will be facing a Big Ten opponent on their home floor.
The final tune-up before the fall semester exam week and the trip out to Vegas is an annual showdown against the Hartford Hawks to be played at Chase Arena on Saturday, Dec. 10. The Hawks will be playing under a new head coach for the first time in 17 seasons as long-tenured and local hero Jennifer Rizzotti left Hartford to become the head coach at George Washington. Newly hired Kim McNeill will lead Hartford in her first year as a head coach as these two sides will be meeting for the fifth straight season and 24th time overall as the Bobcats have compiled an all-time mark of 14-9 against their local rivals. Last year's meeting was a thriller as Aryn McClure's (Springfield Gardens, New York) layup with 15 seconds remaining in overtime sent the Bobcats past the Hawks, 71-69, in Hamden.
The full 2016-17 schedule will be released in September when the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference games are announced by the league office.
The Play 4Kay Shootout pairings have not been released but the eight-team tournament from Dec. 19-21 is loaded with a balance of high major powers as well as upper-tier mid-major programs. In the three-game tournament held in the brand new T-Mobile Arena set on the Las Vegan strip, the Bobcats will have the opportunity to face a field that includes Oregon State, Oklahoma State, South Florida, Santa Clara, UNLV, New Mexico State and Long Beach State. Among the eight-team field, four (Oregon State, Oklahoma State, New Mexico State and South Florida) advanced to the 2016 NCAA Tournament while three others (Santa Clara, Long Beach State, Quinnipiac) played in the 2016 WNIT. The Bobcats have never faced any of the seven potential opponents in the Play 4Kay Shootout lineup.
Prior to heading to Vegas, the Bobcats open the year with a pair of powerful mid-major foes in Florida Gulf Coast and Dayton. The 2016-17 season opens with a home matchup on Friday, Nov. 11 against the Eagles as the contest marks the third straight season in which two of the top mid-major programs in the nation will meet. Both prior meetings went the way of FGCU but each contest went down to the wire. The first all-time meeting came on Dec. 29, 2014 in the title game of the Hawk Classic that featured 10 ties and 12 lead changes, ultimately ending in a tight 71-65 decision. Last season's meeting was a heartbreaker for the Bobcats as back-to-back FGCU three-pointers with less than two minutes in overtime erased a two-point Quinnipiac advantage, eventually ending in a 71-70 victory for the Eagles.
A consistent power in the A-10, Dayton and the Bobcats are set to square off for just the second time as the first meeting came all the way back on Nov. 21, 1998 as the Flyers dispatched Quinnipiac in Ohio, 66-44, in what was the Bobcats' first season as a Div. I program. The two sides will meet again on Sunday, Nov. 13 in Dayton as Quinnipiac will look to gain a foothold over a powerful squad that saw their eight-year run of 20+ win seasons end in 2015-16. Last season, the Flyers put together their worst season (14-15 overall record) since they finished 12-19 back in 2006-07. During the eight year span from 2007-15, the Flyers advanced to the NCAA Tournament six straight seasons and are just two years removed from an Elite Eight run in 2015. The Bobcats will certainly have a keen scouting report on one Flyer as former Marist Red Fox Madeline Blais will be entering her redshirt senior season for Dayton after the two-time All-MAAC performer transferred following her junior year at Marist.
Two regional foes follow as the Bobcats head to Holy Cross on Wednesday, Nov. 16 before returning home to take on Northeastern on Sunday, Nov. 20. The meeting with the Crusaders marks the seventh straight season the two sides have faced off as the Bobcats stand with an all-time mark of 4-5. Rising senior Adily Martucci (Waterford, Connecticut) pumped in a game-high 18 points in last year's 74-61 home win over Holy Cross. Quinnipiac stands 3-4 all-time against Northeastern as the two sides met last season in Boston with the Bobcats coming away with the 71-60 victory. In that game, Brittany Johnson (Pickerington, Ohio) notched a career high 12 points as Quinnipiac pulled away in the third quarter to secure the comfortable victory.
Bobcat fans will be gifted another enticing matchup as a trip to Temple falls on Sunday, Nov. 27, bringing with it the potential for another thriller as these two sides met up for two of the most entertaining games of the 2015-16 season. Thanks to some lockdown defense, the Bobcats came away with a nail-biting 58-56 home win back on Nov. 24, 2015 over the Owls of the American Athletic Conference. Later on, a dominating home win over Maine in the WNIT First Round set up a rematch pitting the Bobcats against the Owls for the second time in 2015-16 from Hamden. Paula Strautmane (Mucenieki, Latvia) did everything she possibly could, finishing with 19 points (9-12 FG), eight rebounds, three blocks and two assists before fouling out after just 21 minutes of action, but timely free throws in the last minute sealed the 64-62 Temple win.
The home non-conference finale brings with it a momentous matchup as the Bobcats welcome Michigan State out of the Big Ten to Hamden for a 7 PM tip-off on Tuesday, Dec. 6. The Bobcats will be facing a Spartan squad coming off a 25-win campaign which stands as their most wins in a single-season since 2010-11. The 2015-16 Michigan State squad also featured a top five WNBA draft pick in Aerial Powers as the talent-loaded Spartan roster will make the trek to Hamden for the first time in program history. Welcoming the Spartans signifies just the third time Quinnipiac has hosted a 'power five' conference opponent as the last program to visit Hamden was Vanderbilt out of the SEC back on Dec. 10, 2009. Quinnipiac has faced five other Big Ten schools (Maryland, Iowa, Minnesota, Penn State, Rutgers) and are 1-4 in those matchups with the one victory coming over the Golden Gophers in the St. Mary's Concord Thanksgiving Classic back on Nov. 25, 2011. This marks the first time in program history that Quinnipiac will be facing a Big Ten opponent on their home floor.
The final tune-up before the fall semester exam week and the trip out to Vegas is an annual showdown against the Hartford Hawks to be played at Chase Arena on Saturday, Dec. 10. The Hawks will be playing under a new head coach for the first time in 17 seasons as long-tenured and local hero Jennifer Rizzotti left Hartford to become the head coach at George Washington. Newly hired Kim McNeill will lead Hartford in her first year as a head coach as these two sides will be meeting for the fifth straight season and 24th time overall as the Bobcats have compiled an all-time mark of 14-9 against their local rivals. Last year's meeting was a thriller as Aryn McClure's (Springfield Gardens, New York) layup with 15 seconds remaining in overtime sent the Bobcats past the Hawks, 71-69, in Hamden.
The full 2016-17 schedule will be released in September when the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference games are announced by the league office.
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