Women's Basketball Rally Falls Short in NCAA Tournament

Saturday, March 23

Syracuse, NY / Carrier Dome

11:15 AM

Quinnipiac University

(26-7)

South Dakota State

(27-6)

Quinnipiac

South Dakota State

Women's Basketball Rally Falls Short in NCAA Tournament

3/23/2019 12:08:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Fay Scores 25, Strautmane and McClure in Double Figures

By: QU Athletic Communications

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Despite rallying in the fourth quarter to cut a double-digit deficit to three points, the Quinnipiac women's basketball team came up short in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament, falling to South Dakota State, 76-65 at the Carrier Dome on Saturday.

Jen Fay (Lynbrook, New York) matched her season-high with 25 points and nearly recorded her fourth double-double, pulling down nine rebounds in the final game of her illustrious career.

Seniors Paula Strautmane and Aryn McClure also scored in double-digits, tallying 15 and 11 points, respectively.

SCORE
Quinnipiac 65 // South Dakota State 76

RECORDS
Quinnipiac (26-7) | South Dakota State (27-6)

LOCATION
Carrier Dome | Syracuse, N.Y.

BOBCATS STATISTICAL LEADERS

Points: Fay (25)
Rebounds: Fay (9)
Assists: Thornton (5)
Steals: Fay/Thornton (2)
Blocks: McClure (2)

GAME SUMMARY

Paula Strautmane knocked down a three-pointer on the game's first possession, then converted a free throw, to give the Bobcats an early 4-0 lead.
The teams traded the lead throughout most of the first quarter, until Macy Miller's jumper started a 9-3 South Dakota State run to give the Jackrabbits a 22-18 lead at the end of the first frame.
The Jackrabbits extended their run with three quick points to open the second quarter, but the Bobcats responded with a mini 5-2 run to pull back within four.
South Dakota State's lead grew to as many as 14 points in the quarter and would settle at 11 at the conclusion of the first half.
The Bobcats outscored South Dakota State by four points in the third quarter, backed by a 12-point period for Fay.
Quinnipiac's patented defense held the Jackrabbits without a field goal from the 2:16 mark of the third quarter to the 3:22 mark of the fourth, a span of 8:54, and cut the deficit to three points.
Despite Quinnipiac's continued effort on both ends, the lead never got closer than five in the final three minutes of regulation, as South Dakota State hit nine of its last ten free throws to ice the game.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Fay was 10-18 from the field on the afternoon and shot a remarkable 63 percent from the floor over the final five games of her career.
Fay ends her career with 1,302 points (16th all-time), 691 rebounds (10th all-time), 146 three-pointers (eighth all-time), and 134 games played (fourth all-time)
Aryn McClure finishes her career with 1,361 points (11th all-time), 816 rebounds (seventh all-time), 363 assists (eighth all-time), 182 blocks (fifth all-time), 210 steals (10th all-time), 542 field goals (10th all-time), and 136 games played (most in program history).
Strautmane posted a 15-point outing to finish her four-year journey with 1,211 points (22nd all-time), 718 rebounds (eighth all-time), 206 blocks (third all-time), and 135 games played (second all-time).
Brittany Martin and Edel Thornton round out the class of graduating seniors, as Martin set career highs in nearly every statistical category and Thornton posted an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.4 this season and 1.8 for her career.