Strong Fourth Quarter Pushes Bobcats Past Ball State

Sunday, November 25

Estero, FL / Hertz Arena

11:00 AM

Quinnipiac University

3-3

Ball State

1-4

Quinnipiac

Ball State

Strong Fourth Quarter Pushes Bobcats Past Ball State

11/25/2018 1:29:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Women's Basketball Wraps Up Gulf Coast Showcase with a Win

ESTERO, Fla. – The Quinnipiac women's basketball team closed the final game of the Gulf Coast Showcase on a 12-2 run over the final 4:34 to clinch a 69-66 victory over the Ball State Cardinals on Sunday afternoon.

Taylor Herd led the Bobcats with 15 points and seven assists, while Brittany Martin scored a season high 12 points on 9-9 shooting from the free throw line.

SCORE
Quinnipiac 69 / Ball State 66
RECORDS
Quinnipiac (3-3) | Ball State (1-5)
LOCATION
Hertz Arena / Estero, Florida

BOBCATS STATISTICAL LEADERS

Points: Herd (15)
Rebounds: Herd/Strautmane (7)
Assists: Fay (4)
Blocks: Strautmane (3)

GAME SUMMARY

Quinnipiac came out firing, hitting three of its first four shots (two 3s), to take a 10-1 lead off the jump.
Ball State responded with 13-2 run, built strong defense and transition offense, to take a 14-12 lead into the first quarter break.
The Cardinals knocked down two shots to start the second quarter, extending their lead to 19-12 and forcing a Tricia Fabbri timeout. Fabbri's team immediately responded, scoring six straight points, but, minutes later, the lead would spring back to seven after three straight Quinnipiac turnovers.
The Bobcats would pull it back within three points on the last possession of the half, when Brittany Martin was fouled taking a three and knocked down all three shots to tie the game heading into the locker room.
In the third quarter, neither team was able to gain a lead of more than three points and the period would ultimately end up tied at 52. Paula Strautmane had seven points in the frame, along with six free throws from Martin.
The Cardinals looked to be pulling away when they scored 12 of the first 17 points of the fourth quarter, but after a Taylor Herd layup stopped the run, the Bobcats settled in.
Aryn McClure got fouled on consecutive possessions and hit three free throws, cutting the lead to two. Then, Edel Thornton tied the game with a fastbreak layup with 1:50 on the clock.
The teams traded buckets and Ball State called a timeout with 60 seconds remaining in regulation. Taylor Herd got fouled and split the free throws to give the Bobcats a one point edge, then Paula Strautmane block a shot on the other end and Herd was fouled once more, knocking down both free throws.
The Quinnipiac defense locked down on the final possession, not allowing Ball State to even attempt a game-tying three-pointer.

BY THE NUMBERS

The Bobcats knocked down their first 15 free throws of the game, finishing 21-23 (91%) from the charity stripe. It is the team's best mark from the line since shooting 18-20 (90%) on January 13, 2018 vs. Saint Peter's.
Taylor Herd scored a season-high 15 points (one shy of her career high) and pulled down seven rebounds in the win.
Paula Strautmane blocked three shots in the game, marking the fifth-straight game in which the senior has recorded at least one block. The Latvia native added seven points, seven rebounds, and three assists to complete her stat line.

NEXT UP
The Bobcats complete their season-opening seven-game road trip with a visit to Harvard on Friday, November 30 at 7:00 PM.