QU Women's Basketball Looks to Remain Perfect Against Siena on Sunday (ESPN3)

Sunday, February 12

Alumni Recreation Center - Loudonville, NY

2:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

Siena

QU Women's Basketball Looks to Remain Perfect Against Siena on Sunday (ESPN3)

2/11/2017 3:02:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Bobcats Enter With 8-0 Mark All-Time Against the Saints

By: QU Sports Information

Quinnipiac Bobcats (19-6, 12-3 MAAC) at
Siena Saints (10-14, 9-6 MAAC)
Date: Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017 | 2:00 PM
Location: Alumni Recreation Center | Loudonville, N.Y.
All-Time Series vs. Siena: Quinnipiac leads 8-0
Last Meeting: W, 73-47 (December 3, 2016 at QU)

Follow the Bobcats:

ESPN3 LINK
LIVE STATS
LIVE AUDIO (WQUN) (Bob Mortali, play-by-play; Maxx McNall, color)
GAME NOTES: Quinnipiac | Siena
FOLLOW ON TWITTER

HERE. WE. GO!
Fresh off a dominating 22-point home win over MAAC rival Marist, the Quinnipiac women's basketball team hopes to keep the momentum going back on the road at Siena on Sunday afternoon (2 PM). The Bobcats have experienced great success over the Saints since joining the MAAC in 2013-14, owning an unblemished 8-0 mark in eight meetings as conference foes including a 73-47 thrashing at home earlier this season (Dec. 3, 2016). Winners of six out of their last eight games, including a most-recent 67-62 home win over Manhattan, Siena has improved their play significantly and comes in playing their best basketball of the season.

SCOUTING THE SAINTS

Siena (10-14, 9-6 MAAC) ripped off a five-game win streak before dropping two straight to Marist (home) and Rider (road) but the Saints snapped the skip on Friday at home with a last-minute win over Manhattan
Owning a mark of 6-2 over their last eight games, Siena has elevated themselves right into the thick of things for a top five seed and first round bye in the upcoming MAAC Tournament
The Saints did give Rider one of their toughest games of the season as the second place Broncs eked out a two-point home win over the surging Saints last Saturday
The third-highest scoring offense in the MAAC, the Saints rely heavily on the leading scorer in the conference Jackie Benitez (16.6 PPG)
Benitez also leads the MAAC in steals (3.3) and free throw percentage (84.0) while ranking second in three-pointers made per contest (2.6)
After getting off to one of the best starts of any player in the nation (21.4 PPG through first five games of the season, 4.4 made three-pointers per game), Benitez has slowed considerably making just 2.1 three-pointers over the last 19 games
Kollyns Scarbrough is one of the best all-around players in the MAAC as she comes in with an impressive stat line: 13.2 PPG (45.8 FG%), 6.1 RPG, 1.6 SPG
Senior forward Meghan Donohue locks down the low post for the Saints as she posts 12.8 PPG while shooting a MAAC-leading 56.6 percent on the season to go along with 5.6 RPG
Denisha Petty-Evans is a productive guard in the rotation for Siena who averages 6.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game
Deja Rawls is the primary point guard for Siena as she leads the team with 68 assists on the season
Even with all the weapons on offense, where Siena struggles is on the defensive end as the Saints allow the third-most points per game (67.1) in the league
The three-ball also hasn't fallen all season as the Saints sit last in the MAAC in three-point percentage (28.2) and there-point percentage defense (36.6)
Also primarily an isolation team, Siena ranks 10^th out of 11 teams in the MAAC in assists per game (11.8)

ALL-TIME AGAINST SIENA

Quinnipiac has never lost to the Saints in eight all-time meetings
Quinnipiac's defense could not have played better in the first meeting this season, leading the way to a 73-47 victory
The Bobcats forced 34 turnovers from Siena and held the Saints to just 1-for-14 shooting from behind the arc while holding Jackie Benitez to just nine points (4-15 FG) and scoreless in the second half
The two sides had never faced off prior to the Bobcats joining the league in 2013-14
The first-ever meeting came on Jan. 18, 2014 as the Bobcats won at home, 70-49, prior to taking a tight 76-66 road win on Feb. 20, 2014
Quinnipiac has come away with a couple sizable victories at home in the three meetings from the TD Bank Sports Center
Coupled with the 21-point victory in 2013-14, the Bobcats lit up the scoreboard taking a 94-52 victory early last season
The 42-point margin of victory stands as the second-largest in Quinnipiac's Div. I history while also representing the largest margin of defeat for Siena to a MAAC opponent in the program's history

MASTERING MARIST
Quinnipiac's 79-57 home win over Marist on Thursday was significant on many levels but the most noteworthy trend from the 22-point home win was the Bobcats handed the Red Foxes their most lopsided loss to a MAAC opponent in over 13 seasons. The last time traditional MAAC power Marist lost to a MAAC foe by more than 22 points came back on February 14, 2003 in a 90-56 road loss to Niagara (291 games ago).

SPLASH DOWN
In the midst of the recent two-game losing streak, Quinnipiac suffered through two of their worst offensive outings of the season as the Bobcats shot a combined 36-for-108 (33.3 percent) overall and 6-for-47 (12.8 percent) from three in a pair of losses to Iona (58-44) and Fairfield (65-52) away from home. Returning home where Quinnipiac is 8-0 against MAAC competition this season, proved the right antidote as the Bobcats finished with their most single-game made three-pointer totals of the season in wins over Monmouth (13) and Marist (14). Shooting 27-for-60 from long range in the last two games, Quinnipiac has tallied their most triples (27) in a two-game span since hitting on 27 in a span between March 1 and March 6 of the 2014-15 season (60 games ago). The 27 made three-pointers is more than the Bobcats had hit in the previous five games combined (23).

SHAKING OFF THE STREAK
Quinnipiac broke through a two-game losing streak, defeating Monmouth at home, 74-54, on Saturday. Since joining the MAAC in 2013-14, Quinnipiac is unaccustomed to losing streaks as the Bobcats have experienced a losing streak of two or more games just three times now in the last four seasons (75 MAAC games). Quinnipiac went undefeated (20-0) in 2014-15 and also ripped off a 17-game MAAC winning streak in 2015-16 (both of which ended with MAAC Regular Season titles). During 2013-14, Quinnipiac did suffer back-to-back losses to Fairfield and Iona but that and the three-game losing streak from last season are the only two spans (other than the two-game skid from this season) in which the Bobcats have lost two straight in MAAC play.

RPI REPORT
Through 24 games in 2016-17, Quinnipiac continues to get tons of respect in the RPI ranking list as the Bobcats check in at No. 49 in the most-recent report. Out of the 48 teams ranked ahead of Quinnipiac, 40 of those are high-major programs as the Bobcats are ninth-highest among mid-majors. Quinnipiac also owns easily the highest RPI among MAAC teams as the next-closest squad Rider comes in ranked No. 115 while Iona is third at No. 156 (349 teams ranked).

MAAC WIN STREAK
Quinnipiac saw its streak of 25 consecutive MAAC conference victories end in a 61-58 loss at Monmouth (1/19). An impressive streak nevertheless, the Bobcats strung together 17 straight wins to end the 2015-16 regular season and eight straight to open the 2016-17 season. That dominance is rivaled in recent time only by Marist who put together a 30-game unbeaten streak in the MAAC regular season that stretched from 2011-12 to an undefeated 18-0 record in 2012-13 and ending in 2013-14.

BIG MOVERS IN THE MAAC
Since joining the MAAC in 2013-14, Quinnipiac has reeled off a record of 70-14 (.833) in all games against MAAC opponents and 63-12 (.840) in regular season MAAC games, both records that currently lead all teams in the conference. The Bobcats rank well ahead of Iona who sits with the second-best mark of 60-21 (.741) in games against conference foes over the last four seasons and stand 56-19 (.747) in regular season MAAC play.

TOP SPOT IN THE MAAC
Through 25 games this season, Quinnipiac holds the lead in nine different statistical categories while the Bobcats are ranked no worse than third out of 11 MAAC teams in 17 out of 21 major team statistics. Quinnipiac leads the MAAC in scoring offense (68.5), scoring defense (57.6), scoring margin (+10.9), field goal percentage defense (36.1), blocked shots (4.8), assists (16.8), steals (11.9), turnover margin (+6.52) and assist/turnover ratio (1.11).

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 62-7 (.899) in games played at home. In just the last three seasons (since 2014-15), Quinnipiac owns a mark of 37-3 (.925). 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.

GOTTA LOVE THAT HOME COOKIN
Quinnipiac's extended home dominance is particularly impressive when looking at games against MAAC opponents as the Bobcats stand with a mark of 34-4 (.895) at home in league games since joining the conference in 2013-14. That prominence is only magnified when looking at the last three seasons as the Bobcats are 27-1 (.964) at the TD Bank Sports Center in conference games since 2014-15 and are currently riding a 17-game unbeaten streak in home games against MAAC foes.

THE ULTIMATE CLOSERS
Quinnipiac has enjoyed a great deal of success over the past three seasons when building a first half lead. After starting 2016-17 with a mark of 2-0 when owning a halftime lead, the Bobcats recently saw one of their most impressive streaks in program history come to an end in a 71-68 loss at Temple. Quinnipiac's three-point loss signaled the first time the Bobcats had lost a game in which they held a halftime lead since the 2014 MAAC Championship game against Marist. The undefeated streak, which lasted over the course of three seasons, came to an end at 45 straight wins for the Bobcats when holding a halftime lead. Quinnipiac went undefeated in both 2014-15 (24-0) and 2015-16 (19-0) and for the first two games of 2016-17 before suffering the defeat. Since then, the Bobcats are 15-2 in the 2016-17 season to give Quinnipiac a mark of 60-2 (.968) since the start of 2014-15 in games in which Quinnipiac leads at the half.

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 +163 advantage (+6.52 per game; 13^th in the nation) in turnover margin. The Bobcats have turned the ball over just 376 times while forcing the opposition into 539 turnovers (21.6 per game) which ranks 12^th in the nation. Just eight of the Bobcats' 25 opponents this season 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 25 opponents 508-326 (+182) in points-off-turnovers for a per-game average of 20.3 compared to 13.0 for the opposition.

THAT 70+ SHOW
Since the 2007-08 season, Quinnipiac is 129-15 (.896) in games wherein the Bobcats score 70 or more points, including a 13-1 mark in 2015-16 and 53-2 (.964) 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 11-0
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)                                                129-15 (.896)

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 four of the last five seasons while ranking Top 50 in the nation three times. Through 25 games in 2016-17, the pattern is already showing through as the Bobcats lead the MAAC and rank 47^th in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (1.11).

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	25	19-6	419	16.8	376	15.0	1.11	47th	1st (MAAC)
Total	161	126-35	2738	17.0	2271	14.1	1.21

WAR OF ATTRITION
Quinnipiac has outscored the opposition 1712-1439 (+273, +10.9 per game) this season but a closer look at the box scores will show the Bobcats' depth has played a large role in the points discrepancy. The Bobcats have outscored opponents combined through 25 games in every quarter but in the second (402-301, +101), third (467-376, +91) and fourth (463-396, +67) quarters are where the advantages really jump out compared to the first stanza (380-366, +14). Leaning on 10+ players per game and a frenetic offensive pace helps lead to the massive advantages in the second stage of each half.

WHO'S GONNA GO OFF THIS GAME?
Quinnipiac has long preached team depth as one of its biggest strengths and the 2016-17 season is certainly no different as seven players are averaging at least six points per game. No other team in the MAAC has that many as Marist is the second-closest with six. That depth has shown through on a consistent basis as the Bobcats have seen nine different players post a single-game team-leading scoring total on the season, easily the most in the conference. Another key note is the Bobcats lead the MAAC in scoring offense (68.5) and have the fewest 10+ PPG scorers in the conference as Jen Fay (10.4) is the lone Quinnipiac player averaging double figures in points. Saint Peter's is the only other team in the MAAC to have a just one player averaging 10+ PPG.

PUTTING IN A GOOD FAY'S WORK
Jen Fay's return to the court in 2016-17 after a missed 2015-16 season has provided a huge boost to the Bobcats as she now leads the team in scoring (10.4 PPG). Credit Fay's production since the start of MAAC play as a leading indication to her spike in scoring as she leads the team averaging 11.4 points in just 20.7 minutes per contest through 15 conference games. Fay is shooting 47.6 percent (60-126 FG) overall and 37 percent (20-54 3FG) from three while adding 1.6 steals per game. She has posted 10 double digit outings in 15 league games and has scored less than seven points in all but one MAAC contest this season.

PAULA POWERING THROUGH THE MAAC
The opening of conference play has marked the beginning of Paula Strautmane's dominance this season as the sophomore is averaging 9.5 points (41.9 FG%), 6.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks in just 19.2 minutes over 15 league games. Her production in the conference has been a big key to success as she has compiled eight of her 11 double digit scoring games on the season in MAAC play. Strautmane has also done a much better job controlling her foul trouble as she averaged 3.7 fouls per game in 10 non-conference games but has lowered that average to 2.9 fouls per game in 15 conference games.

PAULA = PIVITAL PLAYER
The play of Paula Strautmane has been one of the biggest indicators to the Bobcats' team success this season. In the 19 games the Bobcats have won this season, Strautmane averages 9.9 PPG (45.8 FG%, 75.0 FT%), 5.8 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.8 SPG and 1.6 BPG in 19.4 MPG. Compare those stats to Strautmane's averages in the six Bobcat losses, 3.8 PPG (18.4 FG%, 66.7 FT%), 4.7 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.7 SPG and 0.3 BPG, and the difference is clear. Strautmane is second behind Jen Fay for the team-lead with 12 double digit scoring outputs this season and the Bobcats own a mark of 11-1 (.917) in those 12 contests.

POINTS FOR HER ARE A SHEWAN
Sarah Shewan is beginning to find her niche on the offensive end as she pumped in a 19-point effort against No. 25/15 Oregon State (12/20) in the Play4Kay Shootout where she shot 7-of-13 overall and 3-for-3 from three-point range. Just one game removed from the breakout performance, Shewan exploded for a season high 20 points (6-8 FG, 8-9 FT) at Rider (12/30). All of this is coming directly after a three-game span wherein Shewan posted just three points.

MARTUCCI MAKING HER MARK
Adily Martucci broke through with 14 points as she finished 5-of-11 overall and 4-of-10 from three while adding four rebounds and two steals in a home win over Marist (2/9). Martucci broke recently snapped five-game streak in which she failed to reach double figures with her second straight 10+ point game. Martucci's 12^th double-digit outing of the season continues a season-long trend that has the guard producing career highs in scoring (9.8 PPG), free throw percentage (87.5) and steals (1.7).

FABBRI FINDING HER WAY
Coming off a breakthrough sophomore season wherein she averaged 6.3 PPG on 36.4 3FG%, Carly Fabbri struggled with her shooting in the early going of 2016-17 as she contributed 2.6 PPG while shooting just 17.4 percent (4-23 3FG) from long range through the first 10 games of the new season. Fabbri has since broke through averaging 5.5 PPG on a much-improved 39.0 percent (16-41 3FG) shooting from long range in the last 15 games. With just four three-point makes through the opening 10 games, Fabbri has since made 16 over the last 16 games alone.

ALL-AROUND ARYN
Aryn McClure's all-around play has been one of the keys behind the Bobcats' success as she comes in with averages of 7.4 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.6 SPG and 1.4 BPG. The 2015-16 MAAC Rookie of the Year is having another solid season in multiple statistical categories as she leads the Bobcats in rebounds (155), assists (69), blocks (36) and minutes (584). Of all the players in the MAAC, McClure is the only one leading her respective team in all four aforementioned categories.

BIG NIGHT FOR SHEWAN
Sarah Shewan had herself a night against No. 25/15 Oregon State as she came up with 19 points, including 11 in the first quarter, as she accounted for nearly one-third of the Bobcats' total 60 points scored on the evening. For Shewan, the 19-point effort signaled her second double digit outing of the season while her 3-of-3 shooting from downtown gives her a new single-game career best for makes from three-point range. In her previous three games, Shewan had recorded just three points combined while she also came in with just two makes from behind the arc all season prior to finishing with three makes in her 20-minute scoring barrage.

BIG GAME PERFORMER
Adily Martucci continues to enjoy a breakout redshirt senior season for the Bobcats as she put together another solid outing against No. 25/15 Oregon State, tallying 12 points (5-12 FG) in 22 minutes while playing great defensively against All-American candidate Sydney Wiese. Martucci has shown a tendency to play her best against the best competition as she averaged a team-leading 13.3 points per game while shooting 43.8 percent (14-32 FG) in the three games the Bobcats played against high-major foes (Temple, Michigan State, Oregon State) this season. She went for eight points against the Owls, a career high 20-point night against the Spartans and most-recently 12 against the Beavers. For the season, Martucci leads the team with nine double digit point performances.

SHE GOT GAME
Jen Fay continues to dominate on the offensive end for the Bobcats as she tallied 14 points (5-7 FG, 4-6 3FG) in a 79-57 win over Marist. After scoring 10+ points just once in her freshman season, Fay has notched a team-leading 13 double digit outings for the Bobcats. In those 13 games, Fay is averaging 14.1 PPG while shooting a blistering 53.6 percent (67-125 FG) overall, 37.5 percent (21-56 3FG) from behind the arc and 87.5 percent (28-32 FT) from the charity stripe.

FRESHMAN FITS RIGHT IN
Given a chance at more playing time thanks to injuries in the normal Gold Rush rotation, freshman Vanessa Udoji has responded with solid outings in the 10 games in which she plays at least 10 minutes. Starting with a season high 16 points (4-7 FG, 2-5 3FG, 6-6 FT) and seven rebounds at Saint Peter's (12/1), Udoji followed that up with 13 points (6-9 FG) and five steals against Siena (12/6). A recent outing saw her finish with a solid all-around line of 12 points and four rebounds against Rider. In the 10 games where Udoji has played at least 10 minutes the rookie is averaging 7.0 PPG (41.3 FG%, 90.0 FT%), 3.0 RPG and 1.2 SPG in 16.4 MPG.

TURNING THE PAIGE
Another rookie deserving of praise for making the most of her opportunity is Paige Warfel as the freshman forward has excelled in her two games with more than 10 minutes played this season. With injuries in the consistent Gold Rush rotation, Warfel was given the chance to play major minutes in two games and she responded with 11 points (3-7 FG, 5-7 FT), seven rebounds and three steals in 19 minutes at Saint Peter's (12/1). She came back and tallied nine points (9-10 FT) with three rebounds and two steals in 20 minutes against the Peacocks at home (1/2). In those two games of significant minutes (15+), Warfel averaged 10.0 PPG (37.5 FG%, 91.7 FT%), 5.0 RPG (all offensive) and 2.5 SPG in 19.5 MPG. For the season, Warfel has grabbed 23 total rebounds, 17 of which (73.9 percent) have come on the offensive end.

POINTS ALL AROUND
Five Bobcats – Vanessa Udoji 16, Adily Martucci 13, Paige Warfel 11, Jen Fay 10 and Paula Strautmane 10 – hit double figures in the box score in a dominating 84-51 road win over Saint Peter's. This marked the first time since a road win over Rider back on Feb. 26, 2015 (44 games ago) that five Bobcats finished with at least 10 points in the same game.

SHE'S A THORN-TON IN THEIR SIDE
Edel Thornton posted one of the best games of her young career in an 84-51 road win at Saint Peter's as she tallied five points to go along with her seven assists against no turnovers in 17 minutes. Thornton's seven-assist outing is good enough for a career high as well as the most assists for any Bobcat in a game this season. In fact, Thornton dished out the most assists in a single-game without a turnover since the program's all-time assist leader Gillian Abshire posted 11 assists and no turnovers in a home win over Iona on Feb. 9, 2015 (50 games ago).

HAVE A DAY JEN FAY
Temple's hot shooting spoiled what was the best game of redshirt sophomore Jen Fay's young career as she finished with a career and game high 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting, 3-of-5 from three and 3-for-3 at the free throw line. Fay added six rebounds and two steals in just 25 minutes of action as she easily surpassed her previous career-best total of 11. Her 26 points also represents the highest single-game point total by a Bobcat since Samantha Guastella went for 28 in a home win over Siena on Dec. 5, 2014 (66 games ago).

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.