Huge First Half Run Guides QU Women’s Basketball to 69-49 Win over Manhattan

Sunday, February 19

Draddy Gymnasium - Riverdale, NY

3:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

22-6, 15-3MAAC

Manhattan

8-19, 4-14MAAC

Quinnipiac

Manhattan

Huge First Half Run Guides QU Women’s Basketball to 69-49 Win over Manhattan

2/19/2017 7:04:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Bobcats Ride 23-3 Run, Coasting to 20-Point Road Win and Upping Win Streak to Five Straight

By: QU Sports Information

RIVERDALE, New York – The Quinnipiac women's basketball team used a 23-3 run in the first half, holding the Jaspers to just three points over a span of 12+ minutes, to build a double digit advantage and coast to a 69-49 road win over Manhattan on Sunday afternoon from Draddy Gymnasium.

The victory moves the Bobcats into sole possession of first place in the MAAC standings with a 15-3 mark in league play. Quinnipiac (22-6) also picked up their fifth straight win since dropping back-to-back games to Iona and Fairfield. Manhattan drops to 8-19 overall and 4-14 in MAAC play with the loss.

Shots were falling throughout as the Bobcats shot at least 40 percent from the floor in all four quarters on the way to their fourth-highest shooting performance (30-for-62, 48.4 percent) of the season. Choosing to lean on the interior, Quinnipiac nearly doubled up the Jaspers in points in the paint (42-22) and even though there wasn't many three-point makes, the Bobcats shot a good percentage from deep (4-for-10, 40 percent) on the afternoon.

The game was won in the first half as the two sides traded runs in the first quarter, the Bobcats first jumping out to an 8-2 lead before Manhattan scored seven unanswered to take an 9-8 advantage with 4:02 remaining in the opening stanza.

After seesawing through most of the first, Quinnipiac claimed complete control as the Bobcats rattled off a 23-3 run (+20) that swung momentum into the hands of the road side. Starting with the final six points of the first quarter, staking Quinnipiac a 15-9 lead after one, a stifling defensive effort continued deep into the second as the Jaspers were held to just three points over a span of 12:56.

No single Bobcat scored consecutive buckets in the 20-point swing as no player scored more than four points for Quinnipiac in run. Meanwhile on the defensive end, Manhattan missed 10 consecutive shots and were 1-for-15 (6.7 percent) from the floor with five turnovers as the best scoring defense in the MAAC suffocated the Jaspers on the offensive end throughout. The 16 points scored for the Jaspers at halftime stands as the lowest-scoring half for a Quinnipiac opponent this season.

Despite being outscored by 20, Manhattan closed the half with consecutive buckets to make it 31-16 and outscored the Bobcats in the third (19-17) as Quinnipiac led 48-35 at the start of the fourth. Going just 7-for-24 (29.2 percent) in the first half, Manhattan began to hit shots as the Jaspers scored more points in the third (19) than they managed to post in the entire first half.

With the outcome still somewhat in doubt entering the fourth, Quinnipiac put to bed any hope of a Manhattan comeback early in the frame as the Bobcats rattled off a 7-1 run in the opening 2:18 of the fourth. Leading by 19 at that time, the Bobcats cruised to the final buzzer as back-to-back Sarah Shewan (Russell, Ontario) three-pointers gave Quinnipiac its largest lead of the game, 67-45, before ultimately closing out the 69-49 victory.

Adily Martucci (Waterford, Connecticut) was red-hot from the floor, finishing 7-for-10 overall on her way to a game high 15 points to go along with two assists, two blocks and two stelas in 27 minutes. Over the current five-game win streak, Martucci has scored at least 14 points in all but one contest while she is averaging 13 PPG (48 FG%, 37 3FG%) with over two stelas per game in that span.

Shewan added 14 as she netted 10 of her points in the second half alone, finishing 5-for-7 overall and 2-of-2 from deep to go along with four rebounds in 19 minutes. Shewan has hit double figures three times during the win streak while shooting a team-high 51.4 percent from the floor in the unbeaten span.

Playing close to home, Aryn McClure (Springfield Gardens, New York) tallied 10 points (5-10 FG) with two assists and two blocks while Paula Strautmane (Riga, Latvia) posted nine points, seven rebounds and five steals and Jen Fay (Lynbrook, New York) chipped in seven points and seven rebounds in a winning effort.

Quinnipiac held Manhattan's top player Amani Tatum in-check as the point guard struggled from the floor (3-for-9) and also turned the ball over seven times despite finishing with a solid stat line of eight points, seven assists, six steals and five rebounds.

The Bobcats head into the final week of the regular season in control of their destiny, win-out and the Bobcats claim their third straight MAAC Regular Season Championship starting with a road game at Marist on Thursday at 5:30 PM. Senior Day is slated for Saturday at 2 PM against Canisius.