QU Women's Basketball Set to Face Monmouth in MAAC Quarterfinals Friday at 1PM

Friday, March 2

Albany, NY

1:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

Monmouth

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QU Women's Basketball Set to Face Monmouth in MAAC Quarterfinals Friday at 1PM

3/1/2018 11:52:00 AM | Women's Basketball

By: QU Athletic Communications

Friday Mar. 2, 2018 | 1:00 PM (ET) | MAAC Quarterfinals | Times Union Center, Albany, New York | ESPN3
QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY BOBCATS (24-5, 18-0 MAAC) vs. MONMOUTH UNIVERSITY HAWKS (10-20, 8-11 MAAC)
Watch It Live: ESPN3
Follow Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com
Listen Live: AM 1220 WQUN
Updates: @QU_WBB
Game Notes: QUINNIPIAC
Postseason Guide: QUINNIPIAC
All-Time Series vs. Monmouth: QU leads 25-17
Current Streak:  QU - three straight
This Year's Meetings:  Quinnipiac 76-55 at Monmouth (1/18); Quinnipiac 77-57 at Quinnipiac (2/25)

ALBANY, N.Y. - The top-seeded Quinnipiac University women's basketball team begins its quest for its second-consecutive MAAC Tournament championship, as the Bobcats will take on No. 9 Monmouth on Friday, Mar. 2 in the quarterfinals at 1 PM at the Times Union Center in Albany.

THE SCHEDULE
Thursday, March 1, 2018 – MAAC First Round (ESPN3)
Game 1: No. 8 Canisius vs. No. 9 Monmouth       9:30 AM
Game 2: No. 7 Manhattan vs. No. 10 Iona       11:30 AM
Game 3: No. 6 Niagara vs. No. 11 Saint Peter's        1:30 PM

Friday, March 2, 2018 – MAAC Quarterfinals I (ESPN3)
Game 4: No. 1 Quinnipiac vs. Canisius/Monmouth   1:00 PM
Game 5: No. 2 Marist vs. Manhattan/Iona         3:30 PM

Saturday, March 3, 2018 – MAAC Quarterfinals II (ESPN3)
Game 6: No. 3 Siena vs. Niagara/Saint Peter's      12:00 PM
Game 7: No. 4 Fairfield vs. No. 5 Rider           2:30 PM

Sunday, March 4, 2018 – MAAC Semifinals (ESPN3)
Game 8: Winner of Gm. 4 vs. Winner of Gm. 7      11:00 AM
Game 9: Winner of Gm. 5 vs. Winner of Gm. 6      1:30 PM

Monday, March 5, 2018 – MAAC Championship (ESPNU)
Game 10: Winner of Gm. 8 vs. Winner of Gm. 9       2:30 PM

THE TOURNAMENT
The 2018 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament is held March 1-5 at the Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. The winner of the tournament receives the conference's automatic bid into the 2018 NCAA Tournament. The regular season champion receives an automatic bid into the 2016 WNIT Tournament if they do not win the tournament.

ESPN FAMILY OF NETWORKS
Courtesy of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), several of the tournament's games can be seen nationally on the ESPN family of networks. The
championship game will be televised nationally on ESPNU while all of the other games can be seen on ESPN3.

THE 2018-19 SEASON
Quinnipiac finished 24-5 overall and 18-0 in league play to earn the 2017-18 MAAC
Regular Season Championship and the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament. Quinnipiac clinched its fourth straight MAAC Regular Season title, going undefeated in regular season conference play for the third time in program history and third time in six seasons. The regular season title is the Bobcats' fifth in the six years dating back to the 2012-13 campaign where Quinnipiac was crowned the NEC Regular Season Champions.

QUINNIPIAC IN THE POSTSEASON
Quinnipiac enters the 2018 MAAC tournament seeking a fifth straight MAAC Championship game appearance while the Bobcats are trying to capture their fourth conference title in the last six seasons. The Bobcats claimed the 2013 NEC Tournament title after an undefeated (18-0) run through league play and in 2015 the Bobcats rolled through the MAAC eventually winning the 2015 MAAC Championship while going undefeated (20-0) through league play. In 2016, Quinnipiac won 19 straight games before being bounced in the MAAC title game to Iona, 58-44, suffering a back-breaking injury to Maria Napolitano in the semifinal win over Monmouth. Last season, Quinnipiac won the 2017 MAAC Championship after winning its last 10 MAAC contestsm including an 81-73 win over Rider in the title game

Moving to the MAAC in 2013-14, Quinnipiac upset No. 1 seed Iona on their way to an appearance in the 2014 MAAC Championship game. Quinnipiac has made a trip to conference championship game six straight seasons and owns an all-time record of 20-15 in conference tournament games (10-2 since joining the MAAC).

SCOUTING MONMOUTHH
- No. 9 seed Monmouth ended the regular season with a 9-20 (7-11 MAAC) record.
- The Hawks are led by senior Rhaiah Spooner-Knight, who averages 11.1 points per game to go along with 4.9 rebounds per game.
- Sophomore Kayla Shaw is not far behind with 10.9 points per game, and has made 56 three-pointers this season, which ranks third in the MAAC despite missing three games.
- Monmouth uses its deep bench, with nine different players averaging at least 13.4 minutes per game.
- Additionally, ten different players registered at least one game in double-figures during the 2017-18 campaign.
- The Hawks lead the MAAC in rebounds per game (40.0) and are second in blocks (4.4), but rank last in the conference with 21 turnovers per game.
Monmouth looks to advance to its fifth-straight MAAC Quarterfinals.

ALL-TIME VS. MONMOUTH
- The Bobcats own a 25-17 record against the Monmouth Hawks.
- Despite their long history in the NEC, since joining the MAAC prior to the 2013-14 season the Bobcats own a 10-2 record against the Hawks.
- Quinnipiac holds a 2-0 series lead over Monmouth all-time in the MAAC Tournament.
- The two teams met in the 2016 MAAC Tournament Semifinals, where the - Bobcats came away with a 66-59 win over the Hawks.
- After losing leading scorer Maria Napolitano to injury in the first half, the
- The Bobcats were able to band together to come away with the seven-point win to advance to its fourth-consecutive conference championship at the time.
- Three players scored in double-digits with Morgan Manz leading the way with 13 points.
- Aryn McClure registered a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds, while Paula Strautmane added 11 points and eight rebounds in the win.
- In its meeting in the 2015 MAAC Quarterfinals, the Bobcats defeated the Hawks 82-61.
- Four players scored in double-figures in the victory, with Val Driscoll leading the way with 17 points and nine rebounds.
- Jasmine Martin and Gillian "Boo" Abshire scored 18 points apiece, with Abshire adding eight assists in the win.
- Maria Napolitano contributed 12 points in the victory.
- The Bobcats went 2-0 this season against the Hawks with the average margin of victory being 20.5 points.
- Quinnipiac ended its regular season with a 77-57 victory over the Hawks on Senior Day to clinch a perfect 18-0 conference record.
- The Bobcats have finished the regular season undefeated in conference play for the third time in program history and third time in six seasons.
- In her final performance at the TD Bank Sports Center, senior Carly Fabbri scored a game-high 21 points and dished out four assists on Senior Day.

19-STRAIGHT AND COUNTING
Quinnipiac's 19-consecutive wins is tied for the fifth-longest active win streak in the nation Belmont. Quinnipiac is three wins away from tying its program-record of 22 straight wins, which was set during the 2012-13 season.

28 IS GREAT
Quinnipiac's 77-57 victory over Monmouth on Sunday, Feb. 25 was the Bobcats' 28th-straight win against a MAAC opponent dating back to last season. The 28 consecutive conference wins is Quinnipiac's longest win streak against MAAC opponents since joining the conference prior to the 2013-14 season.

BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK
Quinnipiac will finished the 2017-18 season as four-time defending MAAC regular season champions, earning the top record in conference play. Owning a 72-6 (.923) 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 six programs in the nation (UConn, Baylor, Notre Dame, DePaul and Green Bay) to win four straight regular season titles since the 2014-15 season.

ALL-MAAC HONORS
Three members of the Quinnipiac women's basketball team – Jen Fay (Lynbrook, New York), Aryn McClure (Springfield Gardens, New York) and Carly Fabbri (Stratford, Connecticut) – have been earned All-MAAC honors as the league announced on Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Fay and McClure were named to the All-MAAC First Teams while Fabbri was named to the All- MAAC Third Team. With the three selections, Quinnipiac now has seen 16 players in four seasons as a MAAC institution earn All-Conference laurels. Ever since moving to Div. I in 1998-99, Quinnipiac has seen 37 players earn All-Conference nods. This is the first time since 2014-15 where the Bobcats have had a player make First-Team honors and the first-time in program history where Quinnipiac has had two First-Team All-Conference selections in the same season.

400 AND BEYOND
Quinnipiac women's basketball head coach Tricia Fabbri earned her 400th career win in an 83-72 victory over Siena. Fabbri is the all-time winningest coach in program history and the first female head coach in Quinnipiac Athletics history to reach 400 career wins. Fabbri is also the fifth coach in Quinnipiac Athletics history to reach 400 wins. Fabbri's 400 career wins places her fifth all-time in QU Athletics history behind Dan "Skip" Gooley (531), Rand Pecknold (481), Mike Quitko (481) and Burt Kahn (459).

TOP SPOT IN THE MAAC
Quinnipiac finished the regular season with the lead in 11 different statistical categories out of 21 major team statistics. Quinnipiac led the MAAC in scoring offense (71.4), scoring defense (58.5), scoring margin (+13.1), three-point field goal percentage (34.5), blocked shots (4.4), assists (17.3), steals (10.7), turnover margin (+6.28), assist/turnover ratio (1.4), defensive rebound percentage (71.6) and three-point field goals made per game (8.8).

DEE-FENSE
Quinnipiac's defense led the MAAC all season as the Bobcats allowed 58.6 points per game (53rd-best mark in the nation). Quinnipiac allowed fewer than 60 points per game for just the fourth time in the program's Div. I history (2016-17 - 58.6, 2015-16 – 58.7, 2012-13 – 57.4, 2007-08 – 58.7). In MAAC regular season games, Quinnipiac allowed a miniscule 54.2 PPG while opponents shot just 37.2 percent from the floor in conference play. season.

FLOOR GENERAL
Senior guard Carly Fabbri has dircted Quinnipiac's potent offense on a consistent basis all season. Fabbri is averaging 4.7 assists per game in league games, which ranks first in the MAAC. More impressively, Fabbri leads the MAAC with a 3.08 assist-to-turnover ratio, which is ninth best in the nation.

EVERYBODY EATS
The Bobcats play a very unselfish brand of basketball, as Quinnipiac leads the MAAC with 18.6 assists per game in league games as a team. The Bobcats spread the ball around evenly as five different players have lead the team in scoring at least three times and five different players rank in the top-30 in the MAAC in points per game.

ACTIVE HANDS
The Bobcats are one of the top defensive units in the league as they rank second in the league in blocks per game (4.4) and first in steals per game (11.8).

CLIMBING THE NATIONAL RANKS
The Bobcats average only 12.5 turnovers per game, which ranks 23rd in the nation. Quinnipiac's 1.36 assist-to-turnover ratio is 16th best in the nation, while its 6.11 turnover margin ranks 15th in the nation.

BIG MOVERS IN THE MAAC
Since joining the MAAC in 2013-14, Quinnipiac has reeled off a record of 96-14 (.872) in all games against MAAC opponents and 86-12 (.877) 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). Herd scored 15 points and grabbed a career-high six rebounds in a win over Fairfield (2/02).

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 76-8 (.904) in games played at home. In just the last three-plus seasons (since 2014-15), Quinnipiac owns a mark of 51-4 (.927). That mark ranks as the 10th-best home win percentage in the nation over that span. Quinnipiac currently has a 27-game home conference winning streak, dating back to a loss to Manhattan in its home MAAC opener in 2015-16.

HITTING THAT MAGIC NUMBER
Quinnipiac's 64-39 win over Canisius on Friday, Feb. 9 clinched yet another 20-win campaign for Head Coach Tricia Fabbri in 2017-18.The 12th 20-win season in program history made it seven in-a-row as well as the ninth in Fabbri's 23-year coaching career at Quinnipiac. The Bobcats are one of just 19 teams in the nation to win at least 20 games in seven straight seasons. Of those teams, the Bobcats have the 10th best record of the teams, going 182-51 (.781).

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 68-2 since the start of 2014-15 in games in which Quinnipiac leads at the half, while this year's 17-0 record with halftime leads has improved that mark to 84-2 (.976).

THAT 70s SCORING SHOW
Since the 2007-08 season, Quinnipiac is 150-15 (.909) in games wherein the Bobcats score 70 or more points, including 73-2 (.973) 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 plaeau. So far this year, Quinnipiac has won all 17 games when scoring 70 or more, improving its win streak in those contests to 40 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     17-0
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) 150-15 (.909)

BOY CAN THE BOBCATS PROTECT THE BALL
In its win over Monmouth on Feb. 25, Quinnipiac dished out 26 assists while committing only 10 turnovers. The Bobcats finished the regular season in first place in the MAAC and are ranked 16th in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.36). 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 six seasons while ranking Top 20 in the nation four times. Senior point guard Carly Fabbri also currently leads the league individually and is ranked ninth in the nation with an impressive 3.10 ratio (124 assists, and only 40 turnovers through 29 games)

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        29        17.0   12.5   1.36   15th   1st (MAAC)
Total           200        16.90   13.83  1.23   --           --

NEXT UP
With a win, Quinnipiac will advance to the MAAC Semifinals where the Bobcats will await the winner of No. 4 Fairfield vs. No. 5 Rider. The semifinal game is set for Sunday, March 4 at 11 a.m. on ESPN3.