QU Women's Basketball's Cinderella Season Ends With Loss To South Carolina

Saturday, March 25

Stockton Arena - Stockton, CA

4:06 PM (ET)

Quinnipiac University

29-7

100

South Carolina

30-4

Quinnipiac

South Carolina

100

QU Women's Basketball's Cinderella Season Ends With Loss To South Carolina

3/25/2017 5:57:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: QU Sports Information

PHOTO GALLERY

STOCKTON, California – Quinnipiac women's basketball's magical run to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 came to an end with a 100-58 loss to No. 1 South Carolina in the NCAA Tournament Stockton Regional at Stockton Arena. With the loss, Quinnipiac's incredible 2016-17 season ends a record of 29-7 while South Carolina improved to 30-4 and will advance to the Elite Eight.

"We clearly had stated prior to the start of the season, that getting into the tournament was not the end game anymore for this program; that winning games was the goal," said Quinnipiac head coach Tricia Fabbri. "Now everyone in women's basketball has paid attention to our story, and we plan to use that. Now getting a taste of the Sweet 16, being here the second weekend will now be a part of what we want to continue to build upon for this program going forward."

Quinnipiac redshirt sophomore Jen Fay (Lynbrook, New York) and fifth-year senior Adily Martucci(Waterford, Connecticut) finished with 12 points apiece to lead the Bobcats. Aryn McClure(Springfield Gardens, New York) finished with nine points and a team-high five assists. For South Carolina, Aja Wilson and Kaela Davis dominated play, with Wilson totaling 24 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor and 10-for-10 shooting from the free throw line. Davis totaled a game-high 28 on 9-of-13 shooting including 5-of-6 from three-point range. Allisha Gray tallied 19 points and eight rebounds for the Gamecocks.

"Yeah, they shot lights out," Martucci said. "Our game plan was to really try to help our bigs with Wilson. And something's got to give when that happens. Those three's really were daggers. I felt like they shot 100 percent from the three-point line. They shot very well."

South Carolina opened the game with a 16-0 run before a pair of Fay free throws with 2:15 to go in the first period put Quinnipiac on the board. Sarah Shewan (Russell, Ontario) knocked down a three-pointer on the ensuing possession to make it 16-5 before the Gamecocks closed the first half with a 6-2 run to head into the first intermission with a 22-7 lead.

Coming out of the first break, South Carolina outscored the Bobcats, 15-7 capped off by an Gray lay-up with 4:17 to go in the half. Martucci re-entered the game - after sitting most of the first and second periods with foul trouble - and keyed a 7-2 run over the next 1:28. Martucci converted on three-straight attempts to close the first half with seven points. South Carolina headed into the half with a 45-27 lead.

The Gamecocks were red-hot coming out of halftime and converted on 13-of-16 from the floor, including 3-of-5 from three-point range in the third period to take a 76-44 lead into the final period. Gamecocks' junior guard Kaela Davis was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field including 3-for-3 from long range as she potted 15 third period points. Statistically, it was Quinnipiac's best shooting period of the game as they hit on 7-of-13 from the floor, highlighted by 3-for-3 shooting by McClure.

"We ran the same offense that we've been running all year that's been working really well," Fay said. "I think the difference was that they were just a little bit faster, a little bit stronger and a little bit bigger and I think it took its toll as the game went on."

Down the stretch, South Carolina outscored the Bobcats 24-14 over the final frame, keyed mostly by the play of the Quinnipiac reserves. The game marked the end of the careers of a Quinnipiac senior class that amassed a 106-34 record for their career that featured this season's trip to the Sweet 16 and was also highlighted by a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2015 as well as a pair of Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Regular-Season and Tournament Championships.

"Indescribable. Life changing. The best years of my life," Martucci said about her five-year career. "I'm just so proud to be a Bobcat and to be a part of this family. It's really hard to describe my five years year because it's been so amazing and just the growth that I've witnessed with our program and within myself. It's life changing."