Women's Basketball Ready for MAAC Quarterfinal Test

Friday, March 8

Albany, NY

1:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

Fairfield

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Photo by: Rob Rasmussen / P8Photos.com

Women's Basketball Ready for MAAC Quarterfinal Test

3/7/2019 2:44:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Bobcats Face Stags in Tournament Opener

HAMDEN, Conn. - The top-seeded Quinnipiac women's basketball team opens postseason play on Friday afternoon as it takes on the ninth-seeded Fairfield Stags in the quarterfinal round of the 2019 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship tournament. The teams square off at 1:00 p.m. at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York.

LAST TIME OUT - QUINNIPIAC - W, 67-38 at Siena
In the final home game of the 2018-19 regular season, Quinnipiac senior Brittany Martin scored a career-high 20 points and redshirt senior Jen Fay recorded a double-double to lead the Bobcats women's basketball team to a 59-42 victory over Manhattan on Thursday night. Fay earned her third double-double of the season with a 10-point, 12-rebound performance. Paula Strautmane recorded three more blocks, running her streak to 16-straight games with at least one block. The senior filled the scoresheet with nine points, six rebounds, three blocks, two steals, and an assist.

LAST TIME OUT - FAIRFIELD - W, vs. Niagara (MAAC Opening Round)
Junior Maddie Sims collected her seventh double-double of the season. Sims led the Saints (12-16, 8-9) with 16 points and 10 rebounds, as she put up her MAAC leading seventh double-double. Sims also added a pair of steals and two blocks. Redshirt senior Aaliyah Jones also was strong, scoring 12 points in just over 15 minutes on the floor. Junior Sabrina Piper also added eight points for the Saints while tossing out a team-high three assists.

THE SERIES
The Bobcats are 12-8 all-time against Fairfield, with the Stags winning more games against the Bobcats than every MAAC opponent besides Monmouth. The Stags are the last MAAC team to defeat the Bobcats, coming in a 65-52 game on February 2, 2017 at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport.

THE TOURNAMENT
The 2019 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament is held March 7-11 at the Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. The winner of the tournament receives the conference's automatic bid into the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Quinnipiac receives an automatic bid into the 2019 WNIT if they do not win the tournament.

ESPN FAMILY OF NETWORKS
Courtesy of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), all 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 23-6 overall and 18-0 in league play to earn the 2018-19 MAAC Regular Season Championship and the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament. Quinnipiac clinched its fifth straight MAAC Regular Season title, going undefeated in regular season conference play for the fourth time in seven seasons. The regular season title is the Bobcats' sixth in the last seven years, dating back to the 2012-13 campaign where Quinnipiac was crowned the NEC Regular Season Champions.

QUINNIPIAC IN THE POSTSEASON
Quinnipiac enters the 2019 MAAC tournament seeking a sixth straight MAAC Championship game appearance while the trying to capture their fifth conference title in the last seven 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, after Maria Napolitano suffered an injury in the semifinal win over Monmouth. Two seasons ago, Quinnipiac won the 2017 MAAC Championship after winning its last 10 MAAC contests, including an 81-73 win over Rider in the title game. Last season, the Bobcats completed an undefeated 21-0 MAAC run with a win over Marist in the finals. Quinnipiac has made a trip to conference championship game seven straight seasons and owns an all-time record of 23-15 in conference tournament games (13-2 since joining the MAAC).

ALL-MAAC HONORS
Three members of the Quinnipiac women's basketball team – Jen Fay (Lynbrook, New York), Aryn McClure (Springfield Gardens, New York) and Paula Strautmane (Riga, Latvia) – have earned All- MAAC honors as the league announced on Monday, Mar. 4, 2019. McClure was named to the All-MAAC First Team while Fay and Strautmane were named to the All- MAAC Second Team. With the three selections, Quinnipiac now has seen 19 players earn All-MAAC laurels in the past five years. Ever since moving to Div. I in 1998-99, Quinnipiac has seen 40 players earn All-Conference nods. This is the second time since 2014-15 where the Bobcats have had a player earn First-Team honors.

FIVE-TIME, FIVE-TIME, FIVE-TIME
The Bobcats are one of five programs in the nation to have claimed at least a share of the regular season conference title in each the last five seasons. Connecticut, Baylor, Notre Dame, and New Mexico State have clinched their fifth-straight as well.

STREAKING
Quinnipiac's current 18-game win streak is the second-longest active streak in the nation behind #1 Baylor (18).

LOCK 'EM CATS
The Bobcats rank third in the country and first in the MAAC in scoring defense (50.9 opp ppg). Quinnipiac set a new program record last month, allowing just six points to Manhattan in the first half. The Bobcats only allowed one point in the second quarter, tying the program record set on February 23 against Marist. Quinnipiac allowed just 2 points to Siena in the first quarter of each of this season's matchups with the Saints and have also played four 4-point quarters (Richmond, Fairfield, Saint Peter's, and Monmouth).

D...D..D... DEFENSE!
Quinnipiac allowed just 31 points to Siena earlier this season. The Saints' total was the lowest by any opponent since a 61-26 win over Albright on January 8, 1994. The Bobcats have allowed fewer than 50 points 15 times this season and 12 times in 18 conference games.

MAAC WIN STREAK
Saturday's win vs. Manhattan was the 49th-straight MAAC victory for Quinnipiac, the longest in the history of the conference. The streak currently stands as the second-longest active streak in the nation, behind only Connecticut. Historically, the current streak is tied for the 11th-longest in the history of Division I women's basketball.

WITHOUT A DOUBT
Quinnipiac's margin of victory in the MAAC regular season was 23.1 points.

TURN IT OVER
The Quinnipiac defense forced 22 more turnovers against Fairfield last month. It was the 16th time this season that a Quinnipiac opponent has committed at least 20 turnovers.

MORE FOR MCCLURE
Aryn McClure has moved into 13th on Quinnipiac's all-time scoring list and eighth in the Division I era. She is one point shy of 12th and less than 75 points out of the top ten all-time. Earlier this season, she became the first Bobcat of all-time to record 1,000 points, 700 rebounds, and 300 assists. She was named to the All-MAAC First Team for the second time in her career on Monday.

CALLING IT A CAREER
Quinnipiac seniors Aryn McClure and Paula Strautmane rank in the top-50 of all active DI athletes in multiple statistical categories. McClure is 50th with 799 career rebounds and 24th with 132 games played. She is also 126th with 1,316 points. Strautmane is 24th with 199 blocked shots.

WAR-FILLING UP THE BOX SCORE
Junior Paige Warfel earned her second-career double-double with a 12-point, 15-rebound effort against Niagara last month and averaged a double-double that week. The Pennsylvania native has 10+ points nine times and 6+ rebounds ten times this season.

OFFENSE WAS ON
The Bobcats had a historically strong offensive performance against Niagara last month, including 36 points in the first quarter alone. That output was the team's highest point total in a single quarter since switching from halves to quarters in 2015-16. The last time the Bobcats scored 30+ points in a quarter was in the fourth quarter of last season's NCAA Tournament First Round win over #8-seeded Miami.

NO, SERIOUSLY, THIS TEAM WAS EN FUEGO
The Niagara victory marked the first time ever that Quinnipiac had two 30+ point quarters in the same game and the third time in two years that the Bobcats have posted 50+ points in a half. The 96-point tally was the highest for the program since February 7, 2015 against Rider.

LATVIAN BLOCK PARTY
Paula Strautmane has posted 34 blocks in her last 17 games (at least one in all 17 games), totaling 51 for the season. The senior ranks 48th-nationally in total blocks and 56th with 1.76 blocks per game. She ranks 24th amongst all active Division I players with 199 career blocks.

DELLY DELLY
Until last Thursday's game, senior Edel Thornton had gone five full games without a turnover, posting 17 assists in that span. The Ireland native leads the MAAC in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.3) in conference games. Thornton tied former Bobcat Gillian Abshire, who also went five games without a turnover in 2015. Abshire had 32 assists in her streak, on her way to the all-time DI record for single-season assist-to-turnover ratio.

SWIPER NO SWIPING
Quinnipiac's defense has been a primary key to success this season. The team is 12th in the nation with 11.6 steals per game and ninth with 336 total steals.

LOW TURNOVER RATE
Quinnipiac ranks 3rd in turnover margin (+8.48) and 19th in the nation in least turnovers per game (12.7). 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 24th nationally with 369 turnovers overall and ranks 12th with 21.21 forced turnovers per game.

GRAND OLE' BOBCATS
Paula Strautmane scored her 1000th career point earlier this season. 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. Strautmane was recently named to the All-MAAC Second Team.

THAT'S MORE LIKE IT
The Bobcats recorded season-highs in points (96), field goals made (39), and assists (24) against Niagara last month. This came less than two weeks after setting then season-highs in points (90), field goals made (35), three-point % (50.0), assists (23), rebounds (44), and steals (21) against Saint Peter's.

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. The Bobcats currently stand at 46th in the RPI after the regular season.

RUNNING AWAY WITH IT
The January victory over Niagara was Quinnipiac's eighth win of 40+ points since the beginning of the 2015-16 season. The Bobcats have 116 conference victories (regular season and playoffs) since joining the MAAC 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, Monmouth, and Canisius, tallying 20 threes in the month of January.

MAAC-TO-BACK
Quinnipiac finishes the 2018-19 regular season as five-time defending MAAC regular season champions, earning the top record in conference play at 18-0 for each of the last two seasons. Quinnipiac has dominated the league since joining in 2013-14, going 116-14 in conference play (including postseason).

FREE FOR ALL
Paige Warfel has knocked down her last 22 free throws over the course of nine games. The streak ranks in the top-five longest in Quinnipiac history. Warfel and Brittany Martin both went 9-9 from the free throw line this season at Marist and vs. Ball State, respectively. 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 early in the season, finishing 21-23 (91.3%) from the stripe, the best percentage (12+ attempts) since February 25, 2010 against Monmouth.

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 (three in five MAAC seasons) and all-time winningest coach in program history has totaled 430 career victories, thus far. Fabbri's Bobcats have reached the 20-win plateau in eight straight seasons, won four conference titles in the last six seasons and earned five consecutive MAAC Regular Season titles. She is currently 47th on the list of 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 55-4 (.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 49-1 (.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 36-game unbeaten streak in home games against MAAC foes.

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.

HITTING THAT MAGIC NUMBER
Quinnipiac's win at Rider marked yet another 20-win campaign for Head Coach Tricia Fabbri in 2018-19. The 13th 20-win season in program history made it eight in-a-row as well as the tenth in Fabbri's 24-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 46 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 102-4 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 161-15 (.912) in games where the Bobcats score 70 or more points, including 84-2 (.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 53 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).

POSTSEASON HISTORY
MAAC Tournament
3/5/18 Marist - MAAC Championship W, 67-58
3/4/18 Rider - MAAC Semifinal W, 82-62
3/2/18 Monmouth - MAAC Quarterfinals W, 83-44
3/6/17 Rider - MAAC Championship W, 81-73
3/5/17 Iona - MAAC Semifinals W, 64-59
3/3/17 Canisius - MAAC Quarterfinals W, 63-58
3/7/16 Iona - MAAC Championship L, 57-41
3/6/16 Monmouth - MAAC Semifinals W, 66-59
3/4/16 Niagara - MAAC Quarterfinals W, 74-51
3/9/15 Marist - MAAC Championship W, 72-61
3/8/15 Siena - MAAC Semifinals W, 64-47
3/6/15 Monmouth - MAAC Quarterfinals W, 82-61
3/10/14 Marist - MAAC Championship L,70-66
3/9/14 Iona - MAAC Semifinals W, 79-68
3/7/14 Canisius - MAAC Quarterfinals W, 72-61

Northeast Conference Tournament
3/17/13 Saint Francis U - NEC Championship W, 72-33
3/13/13 Mount St. Mary's - NEC Semifinals W, 63-56
3/10/13 Bryant - NEC Quarterfinals W, 79-55
3/6/12 Monmouth - NEC Semifinals L, 69-66
3/3/12 Mount St. Mary's - NEC Quarterfinals W, 65-61
3/5/11 at Monmouth - NEC Quarterfinals L, 55-36
3/6/10 vs. Long Island - NEC Quarterfinals L, 70-63
3/7/09 vs. Monmouth - NEC Quarterfinals L, 69-67
3/9/08 vs. Long Island - NEC Semifinals L, 67-63
3/8/08 vs. Mount St. Mary's - NEC Quarterfinals W, 66-56
3/3/07 Monmouth - NEC Quarterfinals L, 63-58
3/11/06 at Sacred Heart - NEC Championship L, 69-65
3/7/06 Robert Morris - NEC Semifinals W, 58-46
3/4/06 Central Conn. St. - NEC Quarterfinals W, 68-64 (OT)
3/8/05 at Saint Francis U - NEC Semifinals L, 65-48
3/5/05 Monmouth - NEC Quarterfinals W, 75-68
3/7/04 Saint Francis U - NEC Semifinals L, 69-62
3/5/04 FDU - NEC Quarterfinals W, 80-62
3/8/04 UMBC - NEC Quarterfinals L, 66-47
3/2/02 vs. Sacred Heart - NEC Quarterfinals L, 83-63
3/4/01 Long Island - NEC Semifinals L, 80-74 (OT)
3/3/01 FDU - NEC Quarterfinals W, 69-54
2/26/99 Wagner - NEC Quarterfinals L, 80-62

National Postseason Tournaments
3/25/17 vs. South Carolina - Sweet 16 (Stockton, CA.) L, 100-58
3/20/17 at. Miami - NCAA Second Round W, 85-78
3/18/17 vs. Marquette - NCAA First Round (@ Miami) W, 68-65
3/20/16 vs. Temple - WNIT Second Round (@ QU) L, 64-62
3/18/16 vs. Maine - WNIT First Round (@ QU) W, 90-44
3/21/15 vs. Oklahoma - NCAA First Round (@ Stanford) L, 111-84
3/19/14 at Villanova - WNIT First Round L, 74-66
3/23/13 at Maryland- NCAA First Round L,72-52
3/15/12 at Temple - WNIT First Round L, 75-60
3/19/08 vs. Iona - WNIT First Round (@ QU) L, 71-59