QU Women's Basketball Looks to Close Buffalo Trip With a Win Against Niagara on Sunday at 2 PM

Thursday, January 4

Hamden, Conn.

7:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

Niagara

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QU Women's Basketball Looks to Close Buffalo Trip With a Win Against Niagara on Sunday at 2 PM

1/27/2018 1:24:00 PM | Women's Basketball

By: QU Athletic Communications

Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018 | 2:00 PM (ET) | Gallagher Center, Buffalo, New York |
QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY BOBCATS (16-5) (10-0 MAAC) vs. NIAGARA UNIVERSITY PURPLE EAGLES (8-12, 5-4 MAAC)
Watch Live: PurpleEagles.com
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Listen Live: AM 1220 WQUN
Updates: @QU_WBB

Game Notes: Quinnipiac
All-Time Series vs. Niagara: QU leads 10-0
Current Streak: Quinnipiac – 10 straight
Last Meeting: QU 77-61 (January 4, 2018)

NIAGARA FALLS, New York -  After defeating the Canisius Golden Griffins 84-55 in its last contest, the 2016-17 MAAC Champion Quinnipiac women's basketball team will look to move to 11-0 in conference play, as the Bobcats close its upstate New York trip against the Niagara Purple Eagles on Sunday at the Gallagher Center at 2 p.m.

LAST GAME (QUINNIPIAC 84, Canisius 55)
Quinnipiac earned its 11th-straight win after it defeated MAAC foe Canisius on Friday, Jan. 26 to move to 10-0 in conference play. Three different players scored in double-figures, with Jen Fay leading the way with 17 points. Aryn McClure scored 16 points, while Paula Strautmane scored 10 points, grabbed eight boards, blocked five shots and recorded five steals.

After falling behind 10-5 in the first five minutes of the contest, Quinnipiac closed the first quarter with a 14-3 run. The run was capped by a Chiara Bacchini jumper at the buzzer to give the Bobcats a 19-13 lead heading into the second quarter. Quinnipiac kept pouring it on in the second quarter as the Bobcats went on a 10-0 run to start the quarter, stretching its run to 24-3. The run was capped by back-to-back three-pointers from Paula Strautmane (Riga, Latvia).
Herd and Strautmane scored six points apiece during the run. The Bobcats went into the half up 45-26 after Herd drilled a three-pointer with five seconds remaining. Quinnipiac's largest lead of the half reached 21 after Edel Thornton scored on a layup with 1:46 remaining in the first half to put the Bobcats up 42-21.

The Bobcats stayed on fire in the second half, opening the third quarter with a 15-2 run.
Quinnipiac's largest lead of the game reached 37 after McClure knocked down a mid-range jumper to put the Bobcats up 72-35 with 9:00 remaining in the fourth quarter.

SCOUTING NIAGARA
The Purple Eagles own a 8-12 record, but are currently fourth in the MAAC with a 5-4 conference record. Niagara is led by senior Victoria Rampado, who is first in the conference in scoring with 21.0 points per game and second in the conference in rebounding with 9.5 boards per game.

THE SERIES
Quinnipiac owns a 10-0 record against Niagara, with the latest victory coming in a 77-61 home win earlier this season. The Bobcats had five players in double-figures with Paula Strautmane leading the way with 20 points. Aryn McClure and Taylor Herd scored 16 points apiece, Jen Fay added 13 and Carly Fabbri chipped in with 10 points.

DYNAMIC DUO
Carly Fabbri and Aryn McClure combined for 50 points in Quinnipiac's 73-66 win over Rider. Fabbri scored a career-high 28 points, while McClure scored a season-high 22 points. Fabbri's previous career-high was 20 points, which she scored in Quinnipiac's 84-70 win over Central Michigan on 12/21/17. Coincidentally, McClure scored her previous season-high of 18 points in the same game.

Fabbri and McClure were the first duo in program-history to score 20-plus points each in the same contest since Jasmine Martin (23) and Sam Guastella (20) did it in the Bobcats' 2015 MAAC Tournament semi-finals win over Siena.

FLOOR GENERAL
Senior guard Carly Fabbri has directed Quinnipiac's potent offense on a consistent basis all season. Fabbri is averaging 4.1 assists per game, which ranks third in the MAAC. More impressively, Fabbri leads the MAAC with a 3.19 assist-to-turnover ratio, which is 10th best in the nation.

EVERYBODY EATS
The Bobcats play a very unselfish brand of basketball, as Quinnipiac leads the MAAC with 16.2 assists per game as a team. The Bobcats spread the ball around evenly as four different players have lead the team in scoring at least three times and three different players rank in the top-20 in the MAAC in assists-per-game.

RECORDS WERE MADE TO BE BROKEN
Quinnipiac set a few new program-records in its 86-39 win over Saint Peter's. Quinnipiac's 47-point win is its largest margin of victory since becoming a Division I program. Its previous largest margin of victory was a 46-point win over Maine on 3/18/16. The Bobcats allowed just 12 points in the first half, the least amount of points its allowed in the first half since becoming a Division I program in 1998-1999.

ACTIVE HANDS
The Bobcats are one of the top defensive units in the league as they rank first in the league in blocks per game (4.5) and first in steals per game (10.7).

CLIMBING THE NATIONAL RANKS
The Bobcats average only 12.2 turnovers per game, which ranks 15th in the nation. Quinnipiac's 1.34 assist-to-turnover ratio is 18th best in the nation, while its 6.14 turnover margin ranks 14th in the nation. Quinnipiac's 178 three-point field goals made ranks 24th in the nation, while its 514 three-point attempts ranks 18th in the country and it's 225 steals are the 17th most in the nation.

BIG MOVERS IN THE MAAC
Since joining the MAAC in 2013-14, Quinnipiac has reeled off a record of 88-14 (.862) in all games against MAAC opponents and 78-12 (.866) in regular season MAAC games, both records that currently lead all teams in the conference.

LEADING THE HERD
After spending much of her rookie season on the bench, sophomore Taylor Herd has seen her role increase substantivally this season,first breaking through with a career high 10 points (3-7 FG, 2-4 3FG) in 13 minutes at nationally-ranked Ohio State (11/17). After scoring nine points in 13 games last season, Herd eclipsed her entire career scoring output in one game as she went for 10 points, including eight in the first half. She made her first career start on Dec. 3 at Hampton, filling in for injured Vanessa Udoji, and has remained in the starting lineup ever since. She matched her career high with 10 points in her second career start in a Dec. 6 win over Providence. Herd set a new career-high in points after she dropped 16 points (4-9 3FG) in a win over Niagara (1/4). Herd tied her career-high with 16 points (4-9 3FG) in a win over Iona (1/6).

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 72-8 (.900) in games played at home. In just the last three-plus seasons (since 2014-15), Quinnipiac owns a mark of 48-4 (.923). That mark ranks as the 12th-best home win percentage in the nation over that span. Quinnipiac currently has a 24-game home conference winning streak, dating back to a loss to Manhattan in its home MAAC opener in 2015-16.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE GALORE
Aryn McClure recorded her second double-double of the season after she put up 10 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Marist.In Quinnipiac's 77-61 win over Niagara, Jen Fay and McClure both finished with a double-double each. McClure finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Fay finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and a career-high five steals. This was the first time Quinnipiac has had two players finish with a double-double since Sarah Shewan and Fay each recorded one against Marist on Feb. 23, 2017. Fay has recorded three double-doubles this season

LETTING IT FLY
In Quinnipiac's win over Canisius, it knocked down 10 three-pointers. In six of the Bobcats' 10 MAAC wins, they have made at least 10 or more three-pointers. Quinnipiac averages 8.5 made three-pointers per game which ranks first in the conference and 33rd in the nation.

FABBRI NAMED NH REGISTER SPORTS PERSON OF THE YEAR
Quinnipiac women's basketball head coach, Tricia Fabbri was selected as the New Haven Register's Sports Person of the Year. Fabbri, the all-time winningest coach in Quinnipiac women's basketball history, takes home the achievement after leading Quinnipiac on its historic run to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2017. in the NCAA Tournament, the Bobcats, the No. 12 seed, defeated No. 5 Marquette and No. 4 Miami on their way to their first-ever Sweet 16.

BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK
Quinnipiac entered the 2017-18 season as three-time defending MAAC regular season champions, earning the top record in conference play at 17-3 last year. Owning a 61-6 (.910) regular season mark against MAAC competition since the 2014-15 season where the Bobcats went 20-0 in MAAC play, Quinnipiac has dominated the league since joining in 2013-14. Now in exclusive company, Quinnipiac is one of just 13 programs in the nation (UConn, George Washington, Notre Dame, Baylor, DePaul, Maryland, Green Bay, Colorado State, Oregon State, South Carolina, Chattanooga and New Mexico State) to win three straight regular season titles entering 2017-18.

2016-17 SEASON REVIEW NOTES
2017 NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTABLES
- Quinnipiac became the fourth No. 12 seed in NCAA Div. I women's basketball history to advance to the Sweet 16, joining BYU in 2014, Kansas in 2013 and San Francisco in 1996
- In addition, Quinnipiac became the fourth team in history to defeat a No. 4 and No. 5 seed to advance to the Sweet 16
- The Bobcats hit 15 three-pointers, finishing just one shy of matching a single-game program record, in an 85-78 upset at then-No. 16 ranked Miami in the NCAA Second Round
- Quinnipiac's 15 triples stands as the third-most in NCAA Second Round history
- Quinnipiac defeated the No. 16 nationally-ranked Miami Hurricanes, marking the first time Quinnipiac has defeated an ACC program and the second straight NCAA Tournament win over a ranked opponent after coming in with an all-time mark of 0-9 against ranked foes
- Quinnipiac advanced into the Sweet 16 as the lowest-seeded team remaining in the field at the time, while standing as one of just two double digit seeds (No. 10 Oregon) who advanced past the NCAA Second Round
- The Bobcats also carried the flag as the lone mid-major program to advance two rounds in the 2017 NCAA Tournament as well as the lowest-seed in both the men's and women's brackets to make the Sweet 16 round
- The Bobcats became the first female sports program at Quinnipiac to win an NCAA Tournament game
- Quinnipiac University now has three athletic programs win at least one game in the NCAA Tournament (women's basketball, men's ice hockey and men's lacrosse)
- Quinnipiac became the 23rd team in the history of the NCAA Tournament to win as a No. 12 seed in a No. 5 vs. No. 12 NCAA First Round matchup
- Quinnipiac defeated a Marquette squad that earned the No. 25 ranking in the most-recent USA Today Coaches' Poll, marking the first time in program history the Bobcats have defeated a nationally-ranked opponent
- The win marked the first time a Quinnipiac basketball program (women's or men's) has won a game over a nationally-ranked foe

2016-17 SEASON-IN-REVIEW
- At season's end, Quinnipiac achieved two more program-firsts as Quinnipiac earned the No. 23 ranking in the USA Today Coaches' Poll to earn a national-ranking for the first time in program history
- In addition, Quinnipiac was voted the top mid-major program in the nation in the College Insider Mid-Major Poll, marking the first time the program has earned the No. 1 ranking in the mid-major ranking poll
- The Bobcats finished 29-7 overall and 17-3 in league play to complete their sixth straight 20-win season while advancing to a fifth straight appearance in the conference championship game, sixth straight trip to a national postseason tournament and earning a third straight MAAC Regular Season title
- Quinnipiac clinched its third straight MAAC Regular Season title, winning seven straight games down the stretch of regular season play to edge out Rider (16-4 MAAC) for the top spot in the standings
- The regular season title is the Bobcats' fourth in the last five years dating back to the 2012-13 campaign where Quinnipiac was crowned the NEC Regular Season Champion
- The Bobcats joined a list of 12 programs across the nation to have won at least three straight conference regular season titles while Quinnipiac has dominated the MAAC with a mark of 54-6 (.900) in league games since 2014-15
- Early last season, Quinnipiac clinched their sixth straight 20-win season, an accomplishment only 26 teams in the nation can boast heading into 2017-18

LEADER OF THE PACK
Head coach Tricia Fabbri enters her 23rd season leading the Bobcats in 2017-18, as the four-time Coach of the Year (twice in four MAAC seasons) and all-time winningest coach in program history came into the new campaign with 379 career victories. Engineering a program that ranks 10th in the nation in total wins (134) over the last four seasons, Fabbri's Bobcats have reached the 20-win plateau in six straight seasons, won three conference titles in the last five seasons and earned three consecutive MAAC Regular Season titles.

ANOTHER NATIONAL POSTSEASON APPEARANCE
Quinnipiac's third trip to the NCAA Tournament last year marked the sixth straight national postseason appearance for the Bobcats and the seventh in program history. The Bobcats earned its first national postseason appearance with a trip to Iona in the 2008 WNIT Tournament and then made a second WNIT Tournament appearance in 2012 against Temple. The first NCAA Tournament berth came in 2013 as the Bobcats earned a No. 13 seed to play at No. 4 Maryland. Quinnipiac also took home the 2015 MAAC Championship, claiming a No. 12 seed and facing No. 5 Oklahoma. In the 2014 and 2016 postseason, the Bobcats advanced to the WNIT, defeating Maine, 90-44, in 2016 for the program's first-ever postseason win.

FIRST NATIONALLY RANKED WINS COME AT RIGHT TIME
The Bobcats are 2-12 all-time against nationally-ranked competition and own an all-time mark of 9-36 against teams in high-major conferences (ACC, BIG EAST, Big 12, B1G, Pac-12 and SEC). After going 0-for-9 in their first nine games against ranked foes, Quinnipiac won two straight games against nationally-ranked opponents in the 2017 NCAA Tournament before bowing out to the eventual NCAA Champions South Carolina (this year's non-conference schedule has included losses to nationally ranked Missouri and Ohio State). Quinnipiac had its first ranked win in an NCAA First Round victory over a Marquette squad that came in ranked No. 25 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll and followed that up with a road triumph over No. 16 Miami. The Bobcats' six other wins over high-major foes have come against Alabama, Minnesota, St. John's (NY), Syracuse and Providence (three times, including this season on Dec. 6).

ALL-TEAM-FIRST MENTALITY
Quinnipiac has long preached the mantra of team-first and last season certainly is no different. Upon the announcement of the All-MAAC Teams, Quinnipiac found themselves with three All-League players – Adily Martucci (Second Team All-MAAC), Aryn McClure (Third Team) and Jen Fay (Third Team) – but none on the All-MAAC First Team. This marked the second time in the last three seasons (all of which have ended with Quinnipiac standing as the regular season champion in the MAAC) without representation on the All-MAAC First Team. Armed with a 54-6 record in the league over the last three seasons, Quinnipiac has just one All-MAAC First Team selection in that span (Samantha Guastella 2015 – Bobcats went 20-0 in the MAAC that season). In the 2016-17 season, the Bobcats stand as the only team in the nation to have won their conference's regular season title outright and not have a First Team All-Conference player (32 conferences in the country).

HITTING THAT MAGIC NUMBER
Quinnipiac's 76-60 win over Siena last season clinched yet another 20-win campaign for Head Coach Tricia Fabbri in 2016-17. The 11th 20-win season in program history made it six in-a-row as well as the eighth in Fabbri's 22-year coaching career at Quinnipiac. Quinnipiac is one of just 26 teams across the nation and one of 11 mid-major programs to record six straight 20+ win seasons. Over those last six complete seasons, Quinnipiac has compiled a record of 158-46 for a .775 win percentage which ranks as the 13th-best overall mark in the nation.

DEE-FENSE
Quinnipiac's defense led the MAAC all last season as the Bobcats allowed 58.6 points per game (56th-best mark in the nation). Quinnipiac allowed fewer than 60 points per game for just the third time in the program's Div. I history (2015-16 – 58.7, 2012-13 – 57.4, 2007-08 – 58.7). In MAAC regular season games, Quinnipiac allowed a miniscule 53.3 PPG while opponents shot just 35.3 percent from the floor in conference play, both standards that led the MAAC. For the season, Quinnipiac allowed opponents to shoot 36.9 percent (39th-best in the nation) while also ranking 21st in the nation in steals per game (10.8). Allowing 0.777 points per possession (best in the MAAC), Quinnipiac held opponents to fewer than 70 points in 29-of-36 games last season including 20 of the last 23 contests. The Bobcats had a run of 19 straight games holding teams to fewer than 70 points snapped in the MAAC Championship game win over Rider.

MAAC WIN STREAK
Quinnipiac saw its streak of 25 consecutive MAAC conference victories end in a 61-58 loss at Monmouth last season. 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.

TOP SPOT IN THE MAAC
Quinnipiac finished last season with the lead in eight different statistical categories, while the Bobcats ranked no worse than third out of 11 MAAC teams in 17 out of 21 major team statistics. Quinnipiac led the MAAC in scoring offense (68.4), scoring margin (+9.7), field goal percentage defense (36.9), blocked shots (4.9), assists (16.2), steals (10.8), turnover margin (+5.00) and assist/turnover ratio (1.11).

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 37-4 (.902) at home in league games since joining the conference in 2013-14. That prominence is only magnified when looking a since 2014-15, as the Bobcats are 31-1 (.969) at the TD Bank Sports Center in conference games, with the only loss coming two years ago to Manhattan. After defeating Niagara at home to move to 3-0 in conference play, the Bobcats are currently riding a 21-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 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. Overall, however, the Bobcats went 22-2 in the 2016-17 season to give Quinnipiac a mark of 58-2 since the start of 2014-15 in games in which Quinnipiac leads at the half, while this year's 12-0 record with halftime leads has improved that mark to 79-2 (.975).

THAT 70s SCORING SHOW
Since the 2007-08 season, Quinnipiac is 144-15 (.905) in games wherein the Bobcats score 70 or more points, including 68-2 (.971) combined since 2014-15. During 2016-17 (16-0), 2012-13 (18-0) and 2010-11 (8-0), the Bobcats compiled undefeated records in each respective season when reaching the 70-point scoring plateau. So far this year, Quinnipiac has won all 11 games when scoring 70 or more, improving its win streak in those contests to 37 in a row (the last defeat was a 71-70 loss in overtime to Florida Gulf Coast in 2015-16 - the last regulation loss was to Oklahoma in the 2015 NCAA Tournament).

Quinnipiac's Record in Games Scoring 70+ Points Since 07-08
Season Record
2017-18 11-0
2016-17 16-0
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) 144-15 (.905)

BOY CAN THE BOBCATS PROTECT THE BALL
In its win over Fairfield, Quinnipiac dished out 19 assists while committing only 9 turnovers. The Bobcats are currently in first place in the MAAC and ranked 18th in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.34). That's nothing new, though, as the team's philosophy is predicated on smart passes and protecting the ball on offense. Quinnipiac has ranked in the top two in the MAAC in assist/turnover ratio in each of the last five seasons while ranking Top 50 in the nation four times. The prolonged trend continued in 2016-17, as the Bobcats led the MAAC and ranked 46th in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (1.11).. Senior point guard Carly Fabbri also currently leads the league individually and is ranked 10th in the nation with an impressive 3.19 ratio (86 assists, and only 27 turnovers through 21 games).

SECOND-HALF SECURITY
In Quinnipiac's first three MAAC contests, the Bobcats committed a total of five turnovers in the second half. of those contests. That averages out to less than one turnover per 10 minutes of play.

Assist/Turnover Ratio Last Six Seasons
Season   Games   APG   TPG   A/TO   NCAA   CONF
2012-13   33          16.9        14.5   1.17   10th      1st (NEC)
2013-14   34          16.3        13.1   1.24   20th       2nd (MAAC)
2014-15   35          19.6   13.3   1.47   5th         1st (MAAC)
2015-16   34          15.4        14.9   1.03   51st      2nd (MAAC)
2016-17   36          16.2        14.7   1.11   46th       1st (MAAC)
2017-18   21          16.3        12.2   1.34   18th       1st (MAAC)
Total        192          16.78     13.78  1.22      --                --

NEXT UP
Quinnipiac will resume MAAC play when it travels to take on Fairfield on Friday, February 2 at 7:00 p.m.