Quinnipiac University
Niagara
Bobcats Set Sights on Purple Eagles in Friday Matinee
1/17/2019 3:09:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Victory at Niagara Will Set New MAAC Record for Consecutive Wins
Friday, Jan. 18, 2019 | 11:00 AM (ET) | Gallagher Center | Niagara University, New York
QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY BOBCATS (9-6, 4-0 MAAC) vs. Niagara Purple Eagles (7-9, 3-1 MAAC)
Watch | Live Stats | Listen | Twitter - @QU_WBB | GAME NOTES: QUINNIPIAC | NIAGARA
HAMDEN, Conn. - Tricia Fabbri and the Quinnipiac women's basketball team head to western New York this weekend where they'll face the Niagara Purple Eagles in the first of two MAAC contests. The Bobcats visit Niagara with a chance to set the all-time record for most consecutive wins in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference history (36). The teams will begin play on Niagara's Kids' Day at 11:00 a.m. at the Gallagher Center.
LAST TIME OUT - QUINNIPIAC - W, 67-38, vs. Monmouth
Paula Strautmane scored the 1,000th point of her career and Quinnipiac women's basketball team tied the all-time record for consecutive MAAC victories with its 35th in a row. For the fourth time this season, Quinnipiac held an opponent to four points in a quarter. Taylor Herd tallied 16+ points for the third time in her last four games,
LAST TIME OUT - NIAGARA - W, 58-46, vs. Iona
The Purple Eagles earned their third straight conference win on Jan. 12, defeating the Iona Gaels, 58-46. It was the first time Niagara had defeated Iona on the road since 2012. Jai Moore led all scorers with 17 points. She also recorded a career-high two blocks. Emerald Ekpiteta led the Purple Eagles in rebounding with nine rebounds. She also had a team-high four steals, which was a career-high. Adila Gathers added a career-high 14 points for Niagara.
THE SERIES
The Bobcats hold a perfect 11-0 record against the Purple Eagles in the all-time series. Quinnipiac earned an 84-55 win in the last meeting between the two teams on January 28, 2018. Jen Fay posted 18 points and nine rebounds in the win, while Taylor Herd added 13 points and Aryn McClure chipped in with ten points and six assists. The Purple Eagles are one of five MAAC teams that have never defeated Quinnipiac.
MAAC WIN STREAK
Saturday's win over Monmouth gave Quinnipiac a streak of 35 consecutive MAAC victories. This ties Marist's all-time mark of 35 straight victories (including postseason play).
FAY DAY
Jen Fay ranks 66th nationally in assist-turnover ratio. Her 2.05 mark is the best among all MAAC players. The redshirt senior also ranks 19th in the nation among all active players with 120 games played in her career.
LATVIAN BLOCK PARTY
Paula Strautmane has posted eight blocks in her last three games, totaling 24 for the season. The senior ranks 78th nationally in total blocks and 76th with 1.60 blocks per game. She ranks 24th amongst all active Division I players with 172 career blocks.
SWIPER NO SWIPING
Quinnipiac's defense has been a primary key to success this season. The team is 37th in the nation with 10.7 steals per game and 53rd with 160 total steals.
FOX HUNTING
Last Thursday's win over Marist was the seventh-straight win for the Bobcats against their MAAC rivals. Quinnipiac has won 10 of the last 11 matchups after losing three times in 2013-14, the team's first season in the MAAC.
LOCK 'EM CATS
The Bobcats rank 15th in the country and first in the MAAC in scoring defense (55.3 opp ppg). Quinnipiac allowed just 11 points (four in the first quarter) to Richmond in the first half of last month's contest. It was the lowest point total in a quarter and half for any Bobcat opponent since Marist scored 10 points in the half and one in a quarter on February 23, 2017. Since that contest, the Bobcats defense has played three additional 4-point quarters (Fairfield, Saint Peter's, and Monmouth).
LOW TURNOVER RATE
Quinnipiac ranks 42nd in the nation in least turnovers per game (14.0) and 13th in turnover margin (+6.33). The team's six turnovers against Missouri on November 24 were the team's least in a non-conference game since joining the Division I ranks. The team's 71 total turnovers through six games was also the lowest six-game total to start a season in Quinnipiac's Division I history. The team is 26th nationally with 210 turnovers overall.
GRAND OLE' BOBCATS
Paula Strautmane scored her 1000th career point in Saturday's win over Monmouth. The senior joined classmates Aryn McClure and Jen Fay as the three active Bobcats to reach the plateau. She, Fay, and McClure are the first trio of classmates in program history to each record 1,000 points.
THAT'S MORE LIKE IT
The Bobcats recorded season-highs in points (90), field goals made (35), three-point % (50.0), assists (23), rebounds (44), and steals (21) against Saint Peter's last week. This came just three days after setting then season-highs in points (81), field goals made (31), field goal % (50.8), three-point % (47.6), and assists (20) against Fairfield.
R-P.. R-P-I
According to the official NCAA RPI, the Bobcats finished the non-conference portion of the schedule at 71st on the RPI list and played the 24th toughest schedule in the nation.
RUNNING AWAY WITH IT
The victory over Saint Peter's was Quinnipiac's seventh win of 40+ points since the beginning of the 2015-16 season. The win was also the 100th conference victory (regular season and playoffs) since the Bobcats joined the conference in 2013-14.
HERD YOU!
Taylor Herd's five three-pointers against Fairfield were the most in her three-year career and the most by a Bobcat since Carly Fabbri hit five against Fairfield on February 2, 2018. She followed that performance with four triples each in games against Marist and Monmouth.
MORE FOR MCCLURE
With her first of three assists against UCF, Aryn McClure became the first Bobcat of all-time to record 1,000 points, 600 rebounds, and 300 assists (Queenie Edwards & Erin Kerner). She also recorded her 700th career rebound in the contest. The senior was named the MAAC Player of the Week and the College Sports Madness Player of the Week.
MAAC-TO-BACK
Quinnipiac enters the 2018-19 season as four-time defending MAAC regular season champions, earning the top record in conference play at 18-0 last year. Quinnipiac has dominated the league since joining in 2013-14, going 102-14 in conference play (including postseason).
FREE FOR ALL
Paige Warfel went 9-9 from the free throw line on Thursday at Marist, matching Brittany Martin's total in this season's win over Ball State, 9-9 is the third most free throws in a game without a miss in Quinnipiac's history. The team knocked down its first 15 freebies of the game vs. Ball State, finishing 21-23 (91.3%) from the stripe, the best percentage (with more than 12 attempts) since February 25, 2010 against Monmouth. Martin followed her performance with a 4-4 night at Harvard. 13 free throws in a row is the longest streak by a Bobcat since Taylor Herd made 10 in a row over the course of nine games last year.
LEADER OF THE PACK
Head coach Tricia Fabbri enters her 24th season leading the Bobcats in 2018-19, as the five-time Coach of the Year (third in five MAAC seasons) and all-time winningest coach in program history has totaled 416 career victories, thus far. Fabbri's Bobcats have reached the 20- win plateau in seven straight seasons, won four conference titles in the last six seasons and earned four consecutive MAAC Regular Season titles. She is on the verge of cracking the top 50 on the list active DI coaching victories.
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 49-4 (.923) 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 43-1 (.977) at the People's United Center in conference games, with the only loss coming three years ago to Manhattan. The Bobcats are currently riding a 30-game unbeaten streak in home games against MAAC foes.
WELCOME TO THE BIG LEAGUES
Freshman Mackenzie DeWees scored 13 points against Central Michigan. Her points were the most by a Bobcats freshman since Vanessa Udoji scored 16 against Saint Peter's on Dec. 1, 2016.
TOUGH TO BEAT
Earlier this season, Princeton became just the sixth Quinnipiac opponent (173 opponents all-time) to be unbeaten in two or more all-time matchups with the Bobcats.
ROAD WARRIORS
The game at Harvard marked the latest into the season the Bobcats have ever played a home opener, as the 2018-19 season began with seven straight games away from home. The seven-game road trip was the longest to start a season in Quinnipiac's Division I history.
ANOTHER NATIONAL POSTSEASON APPEARANCE
Quinnipiac's fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament last year marked the seventh straight national postseason appearance for the Bobcats and the eighth in program history. Quinnipiac 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 2-15 all-time against nationally-ranked competition and own an all-time mark of 10-39 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 (last year's non-conference schedule 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 (four times, including this season on Nov. 15).
HITTING THAT MAGIC NUMBER
Quinnipiac's 28 wins last season marked 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. Quinnipiac is one of just 20 teams across the nation and one of six mid-major programs to record seven straight 20+ win seasons. Over those last seven complete seasons, Quinnipiac has compiled a record of 186-52 for a .782 win percentage which ranks as the tenth-best overall mark in the nation.
THE ULTIMATE CLOSERS
Quinnipiac has enjoyed a great deal of success over the past four 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. 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 and 19-0 in 2017- 18 to give Quinnipiac a mark of 89-2 since the start of 2014-15 in games in which Quinnipiac leads at the half.
THAT 70s SCORING SHOW
Since the 2007-08 season, Quinnipiac is 157-15 (.912) in games where the Bobcats score 70 or more points, including 80-2 (.976) combined since 2014-15. During 2017-18 (20-0), 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. Quinnipiac has improved its current win streak in those contests to 49 in a row (the last defeat was in overtime to FGCU in 2015-16 - the last regulation loss was to Oklahoma in the 2015 NCAA Tournament).
NEXT UP
Quinnipiac remains on the road in western New York where it will square off with the Canisius Golden Griffins on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. in Buffalo.
