Bobcats Set for MAAC Quarterfinals vs. Rider

Wednesday, March 10

Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall / Atlantic City, N.J.

2:30 PM

Quinnipiac University

Rider

Women's Basketball Team Huddle vs. Providence

3/9/2021 10:17:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Quinnipiac Plays Its First Game at 2021 MAAC Championships

By: QU Athletic Communications

Wednesday, March 10 | 2:30 PM (ET) | Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall | Atlantic City, N.J.
QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY BOBCATS (13-7, 11-5 MAAC) vs. Rider University Broncs (6-17, 5-13 MAAC)
Watch | Live Stats | Twitter – @QU_WBB

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – The Quinnipiac women's basketball team is set for its MAAC Quarterfinal matchup against the Rider Broncs on Wednesday, March 10. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. from Atlantic City's Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall.

QUINNIPIAC IN THE POSTSEASON
Quinnipiac has won three consecutive MAAC Championships and five conference titles in the last eight 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. Three 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.

The last two seasons prior to 2019-20, the Bobcats completed two undefeated seasons with wins over Marist in the finals. Quinnipiac has made a trip to conference championship game in seven straight seasons and owns an all-time record of 26-15 in conference tournament games (16-2 since joining the MAAC).

TERRIFIC TRIO
Junior Mackenzie DeWees and sophomore Mikala Morris were both selected to the 2020-21 All-MAAC First Team, as announced by the league on Monday morning. Junior Rose Caverly also garnered Third Team All-MAAC selections after her first season with Quinnipiac.

DeWees and Morris become just the fourth and fifth Quinnipiac players to garner All-MAAC First Team recognition and 10th and 11th in the program's DI history to earn First Team honors in any conference. The duo joins Jen Fay and Aryn McClure as the only pair of Bobcats in program history to earn First Team honors in the same season.

MORE OF MORRIS
Morris followed her 2019-20 All-Rookie season with a breakout year as a sophomore. The league's rebounding leader also finished fifth in scoring, second in blocked shots, 10th in steals, and first in both offensive and defensive rebounds per game.

The Springfield, Ohio native ended the season with three double- doubles over her final four games, including an incredible 23-rebound performance at Niagara. Morris led the league with nine double- doubles and is one of just 44 players in the nation with nine or more outings this season.

A three-time MAAC Player of the Week, Morris also found herself inside the top-35 nationally in blocked shots (27th), blocks per game (31st), rebounds (32nd), and rebounds per game (26th).

MACK ATTACK
DeWees concluded a tremendous regular season ranked inside the top eight in the MAAC in points (6th), rebounds (6th), field goal percentage (1st), steals (4th), and assist/turnover ratio (7th). The two- time MAAC Player of the Week was also twice named to the NCAAs "Starting Five" as one of the best players in the nation for the given week's competition.

The Westminster native tallied career-high totals in points, steals, rebounds, and field goals, despite playing just 20 games and over 100 minutes less than last season.

The junior is currently 41st in the country with 46 total steals and 44th with 2.56 per game.

Earlier this season, DeWees became the seventh Quinnipiac player since 2011 to record 500 points, 300 rebounds, 150 assists, and 100 steals in a career. She joins Jasmine Martin, Brittany McQuain, Jen Fay, Paula Strautmane, Aryn McClure, and Boo Abshire on that list.

She recently became the third Quinnipiac player since 2011 to record 30 or more rebounds in the first three games of a season. She joins Paige Warfel and Brittany McQuain on that list.

EVERYTHING COMING UP ROSE(s)
Caverly was magnificent at the point guard position in her first season on the court for Quinnipiac since transferring from Vermont. The junior closed the season with five double-digits scoring efforts in her last six games and recording 31 assists in that span.

A two-time Player of the Week winner (MAAC and College Sports Madness), Caverly is four assists shy of becoming the fourth Bobcat since 2011 to record 100 helpers in a season. She finished the regular season ranked fourth in the MAAC in assist/ turnover ratio (ATR), fifth in assists, 6th in free throw percentage, and fifth in three-point field goal percentage.

Caverly currently sits in 43rd nationally with 4.9 assists per game and 45th with a 2.23 assist to turnover ratio. The junior guard has led the Bobcats in assists in 16 games this season.

FREE FOR ALL
Junior Amani Free pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds in last month's win over Rider before following it up with a career-best 25 points in an overtime loss the next day.

Free has rattled off 10+ points seven times this year and is averaging 8.7 points per game. The Syracuse native has surpassed career bests in points, field goals, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals this season.

OVER? IT'S NOT OVER!
Quinnipiac's loss to Rider was the third overtime game of the season for the Bobcats.

The last season in which the Bobcats played multiple overtime games was 2015-16 when Quinnipiac defeated Hartford and fell to FGCU. That team finished 25-9 overall, 17-3 in the MAAC, and reached the 2nd round of the WNIT.

The Bobcats also lost the MAAC opener, 71-70, to Manhattan in overtime. Prior to this season, the last overtime loss for Quinnipiac was at FGCU on 12/28/15, by an identical 71-70 score.

GUESS WHO'S BACK?
Redshirt Senior Vanessa Udoji returned to action on Nov. 25 against Providence, 1,090 days after her last appearance, after missing two and a half years with injuries. The Massachusetts native scored two points in limited minutes in her return and tallied 15 points on 7-12 shooting in two games earlier this season.

ALL-MAAC HONORS
Senior guard Shaquana Edwards and sophomore forward Mikala Morris were both named to the Preseason All-MAAC Second Team.

Edwards averaged 12.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 26 games last season. The Preseason All-MAAC Second Team selection scored at least ten points in 19 of her 26 appearances in 2019-20. She scored a career-high 22 points vs. Rhode Island on December 12, 2019, shooting 9-19 from the field in the effort. The Hartford native scored in double figures in ten consecutive games from November 30 to January 25.

Morris, a member of the 2019-20 MAAC All-Rookie Team, appeared in 21 games last season, making 15 starts. She averaged 9.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, while tallying 204 points in her rookie campaign. The Ohio native notched a career high of 18 points against Canisus (01/18) and recorded a career-high 17 rebounds against Manhattan (01/11).

THAT 70s SHOW
Since the 2007-08 season, Quinnipiac is 175-18 (.907) in games where the Bobcats score 70 or more points, including 98-35 (.737) 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 had a 57-game win streak in those contests until last season's loss to Iona. The last defeat was in overtime to FGCU in 2015-16 - the last regulation loss was to Oklahoma in the 2015 NCAA Tournament).

LEADER OF THE PACK
Head coach Tricia Fabbri enters her 26th season leading the Bobcats in 2020-21, as the five-time Coach of the Year (three in five MAAC seasons) and all-time winningest coach in program history has totaled 461 career victories, thus far. Fabbri's Bobcats reached the 20-win plateau in eight straight seasons until last year, won four conference titles in the last seven seasons and earned five consecutive MAAC Regular Season titles (2015-19). She is currently 42nd on the list of active DI coaching victories.

PERFECTION
The 2018-19 season marked the second-straight unbeaten season in conference play for the Bobcats. It was the fourth undefeated season in program history and third as members of the MAAC.

MAAC WIN STREAK
The 2019 MAAC Championship win vs. Marist was the 52nd- straight MAAC victory for Quinnipiac, the longest in the history of the conference. Until last season's loss to Iona, the streak was the second-longest active streak in the nation, behind only Connecticut. Historically, the streak is the 10th-longest in the history of Division I women's basketball.

MAAC-TO-BACK
Quinnipiac finished the 2018-19 regular season as five-time defending MAAC regular season champions, earning the top record in conference play at 18-0 for two straight seasons. Quinnipiac has dominated the league since joining in 2013-14, going 140-25 (.848) in conference play (including postseason).

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 65-11 (.855) 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 58-8 (.878) at the People's United Center in conference games, with the first loss coming three years ago to Manhattan. The Bobcats saw a 36-game unbeaten streak in home MAAC games come to an end against Iona last season.

HITTING THAT MAGIC NUMBER
In 2018-19, the 13th 20-win season in program history made it eight in-a-row as well as ten in Fabbri's 25-year coaching career at Quinnipiac. Quinnipiac was one of just 19 teams across the nation and one of six mid-major programs to record eight straight 20+ win seasons. From 2011-12 to 2018-19, Quinnipiac compiled a record of 212-59 for a .785 win percentage which ranked 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 and now own a mark of 122-7 (.946) since the start of 2014-15 in games in which Quinnipiac leads at the half.