Edel Thornton’s Career Night Backs Tremendous Defensive Effort in Victory over Niagara

Thursday, January 26

Hamden, CT

7:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

17-4, 10-1MAAC

Niagara

5-15, 2-9MAAC

Niagara

Quinnipiac

Edel Thornton’s Career Night Backs Tremendous Defensive Effort in Victory over Niagara

1/26/2017 10:25:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Sophomore Guard Thornton Posts Career High 12 Points in the Bobcat Victory

By: QU Sports Information

HAMDEN, Connecticut – On a night where the MAAC's top scoring offense struggled throughout, the MAAC's best defensive team stole the headlines and paved the way for the Quinnipiac women's basketball team in a 61-45 home win over Niagara on Thursday night.

Quinnipiac improves to 17-4 overall on the season while continuing to dominate the MAAC at 10-1 in conference play, winning two straight after falling in an upset at Monmouth last Thursday. Niagara's struggles on the season continue as the Purple Eagles drop to 1-11 in their last 12 games and stand at 5-15 overall and 2-9 in MAAC play.

Heading into the evening ranking atop the MAAC leaderboard in both scoring offense (70.1 points per game) and scoring defense (58.0 points allowed per game), Quinnipiac has the luxury to rely upon one or the other on any given night. A defensive struggle throughout, it was clear the play of the Bobcat defense would leaned upon heavily and a stellar lockdown defensive squad came through once again.

Shooting just 35.3 percent (24-68 FG) for the game, Quinnipiac's defense came through holding the Purple Eagles to their second-lowest scoring output in 20 games this season. An even more incredible feat, after Niagara attempted a season high 33 free throws in the first meeting between these two teams this season (QU won 71-64), the Bobcats held the Purple Eagles without a single free throw attempt in the 40-minute contest. That accomplishment marks the first time in the program's Div. I history (since 1998-99) that Quinnipiac has held their opponent without a free throw make or attempt in a single-game. The previous program record came when the Bobcats held Saint Joseph's to just 1-of-2 shooting from the line in an 84-69 loss to the Hawks on Dec. 1, 2013.

With the defense picking up the slack, Quinnipiac found some much-needed scoring from an unlikely source as sophomore Edel Thornton (Guarranabraher, Ireland) came through with a career high 12 points (nine in the second half) on 4-for-5 shooting and 2-of-3 from deep to go along with three assists and three steals in 18 minutes. The career night for Thornton marks just the third time she has scored double figures in her career (36 appearances) while she becomes the ninth Bobcat to lead the team in scoring this season, a total which easily leads the conference.

Both teams were slow to start as just eight points were scored through the first 5:15 of play but Niagara was able to fight back from a 9-6 deficit to ride an 8-2 run for the remainder of the first quarter to take the 14-11 lead. Shades of the first meeting on the season were evident early as the 71-64 victory for Quinnipiac at Niagara (Jan. 5) was dominated by the Purple Eagles for the majority of play as the Bobcats trailed, 50-42, heading into the fourth quarter before riding a 29-14 swing to claim the seven-point victory.

A much-improved second quarter saw Quinnipiac outscore Niagara 19-10 as the Bobcats shot 40 percent in the frame (8-20 FG) while all eight buckets were made by different Bobcats in the second stanza. Opening the quarter on a 13-4 run, Quinnipiac held Niagara at bay and led by as many as eight before heading into the halftime locker room leading 30-24.

Another slow-developing third quarter saw just 25 points scored combined by the two teams but after the Purple Eagles closed the gap to just one within the first 44 seconds of the second half, Quinnipiac later answered with a 6-0 run that built the lead up to nine with just over 12 minutes remaining.

With the Purple Eagles still lurking, trailed by just five with 8:56 remaining, Thornton helped put this one away as she fired in her second three-pointer of the day and followed with a layup while fighting off heavy traffic underneath the basket to put her team back up by double digits. The lead later swelled as a 9-0 run for the Bobcats, highlighted by a pair of three-point plays from Paula Strautmane (Riga, Latvia) and Jen Fay (Lynbrook, New York), gave Quinnipiac their biggest lead of the game (59-40) before ultimately closing out the 61-45 win.

Fay tallied 10 points (4-9 FG) and seven rebounds to go along with two steals as she pumped in her team-leading 11^th double digit scoring game of the season. Strautmane added seven points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals in just 15 minutes. Sarah Shewan (Russell, Ontario) filled up the box score with nine points and 10 rebounds while Morgan Manz (Southbury, Connecticut) chipped in nine points, six rebounds and three assists.

Credit rebounding as another huge key for the Bobcats as the home side outrebounding Niagara, 49-31 (+18) including a 19-6 (+13) advantage on the offensive boards. That massive differential led to a commanding edge in second chance points for the Bobcats.

With another home MAAC win now under their belt, Quinnipiac heads into a huge Saturday afternoon matchup at Iona as the two sides will be meeting for the first time since the Gaels defeated the Bobcats in the 2016 MAAC Championship game. The 2 PM tip-off can be seen live on ESPN3.