Bobcats Host Holy Cross Sunday in Final Home Game of 2023

Quinnipiac Bobcats (2-5, 0-0 MAAC) vs. Holy Cross Crusaders (4-4, 0-0 Patriot League)
Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023 | 2:00 PM
M&T Bank Arena | Hamden, Conn.
Game Notes: Quinnipiac | Holy Cross
Watch: ESPN+
Live Statistics: Sidearm Stats
In-Game Updates: @QU_WBB

All-Time vs. Holy Cross: Quinnipiac leads series, 6-4
D1 Era vs. Holy Cross: Quinnipiac leads series, 6-4
Last Meeting vs. Holy Cross: W, 78-55 (Nov. 16, 2016)

HAMDEN, Conn. – The Quinnipiac women's basketball team returns home to Hamden on Sunday, as the Bobcats take on Holy Cross in a non-conference battle. Tip-off from M&T Bank Arena is set for 2 p.m. on ESPN+.

LAST TIME OUT

Junior forward Grace LaBarge scored a career-high 20 points in the Quinnipiac women's basketball team's road loss at Princeton, 61-59, Wednesday evening inside of Jadwin Gymnasium.
LaBarge shot a perfect 6-for-6 from the field, including 3-for-3 from three and 5-for-5 from the charity stripe en route to scoring a career-high 20 points.
Jackie Grisdale added 12 points in the loss, while Anna Foley contributed 13 points of her own in the contest.

SCOUTING THE CRUSADERS

Holy Cross is led by Maureen Magarity, who boasts 55 wins in her fourth season with the Crusaders.
Holy Cross enters the matchup at 4-4 on the season.
The Crusaders have split its last two contests.
Holy Cross came up short at Vermont, 46-44, on Dec. 3, before downing Connecticut College at home, 80-39, this past Thursday.
The Crusaders are holding opponents to 51.1 points per game, while forcing them to shoot 31.9 percent from the field and 24.1 percent from three.
Bronagh Power-Cassidy leads Holy Cross with 12.7 points per game, while also averaging 6.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.

DIV. I HISTORY VS. HOLY CROSS

Sunday's contest against Holy Cross will mark Quinnipiac's 11th contest against the Crusaders.
The Bobcats are 6-4 all-time against the Crusaders.
Sunday marks the first matchup since 2016 between the two programs.
The last time the two sides faced off, Quinnipiac came away with a 78-55 victory on the road against Holy Cross on Nov. 16, 2016.
Morgan Manz led the Bobcats with 16 points in the victory.
Sarah Shewan and Jen Fay added 11 points apiece.

LEADER OF THE PACK

Head coach Tricia Fabbri is in her 29th season at the helm of the Bobcats in 2023-24.
A five-time Coach of the Year and all-time winningest coach in program history, Fabbri has totaled 505 career victories, thus far.
With the win over Mount St. Mary's on Feb. 16, 2023, Fabbri became the 90th coach in Div. I women's basketball history to reach 500 career wins and the 22nd to accomplish the feat at one institution without coaching at another.
Of her 505 wins, 490 have come in Quinnipiac's Div. I era.
With 20 wins in 2022-23, Fabbri secured the program's 12th straight winning season under her guidance.
Fabbri's Bobcats have reached the 20-win plateau in 12 seasons, including eight straight seasons from 2011-2019.
With five NCAA Tournament appearances along with five WNIT berths, Fabbri has led QU to 10 postseason national tournaments in her tenure.
She has led Quinnipiac to five conference titles in the last 11 seasons and earned five consecutive MAAC Regular Season titles from 2015-2019.

JUST WIN BABY, WIN!!

M&T Bank Arena, 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 126-28 (.818) in games played at home.
In that same span, the Bobcats own a mark of 92-15 (.860) in conference play (NEC & MAAC) at home.
Quinnipiac owns a 125-58 (.683) mark since November 22, 2017.
The Bobcats stand with a mark of 82-15 (.845) at home in league games since joining the MAAC in 2013-14.
The Bobcats are 75-12 (.862) at M&T Bank Arena in conference games since the start of the 2014-15 campaign.

THAT 70s SHOW

Since the start of the 2014-15 campaign, the Bobcats are 117-37 (.760) in games where they score at least 70 points.
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

CLOSING TIME

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 throughout 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, the Bobcats own a mark of 157-16 (.908) since the start of 2014-15 in games in which Quinnipiac leads at the half.

LOCKING UP

Aside from the two contests against nationally ranked opponents, Quinnipiac did not allow an opponent to score more than 69 points in a game in 2022-23.
Quinnipiac did not an opponent to reach 70 points in 27 straight games, before having its streak snapped by Harvard on Nov. 12, 2023.
Quinnipiac has not allowed an opponent to reach 70 points in 28 of its last 31 games, dating back to last season.

BOWEN AT THE BUZZER

Sophomore wing Bri Bowen scored the game-winning bucket at the buzzer to lead the Quinnipiac women's basketball team past URI on the road, 61-59, inside of the Ryan Center on Nov. 30.
Jackie Grisdale led the Bobcats with 16 points, while Paige Girardi added a career-high 15 points. Anna Foley contributed 14 points in the victory.
The Rams held Quinnipiac scoreless the first 5:20 of the fourth, building a 53-46 lead in the process. However, the Bobcats responded with an 11-2 run to trim the deficit to take a 57-55 lead with 57.4 seconds left in regulation.
After the Rams took a 58-57 lead, Grisdale got to the cup and made a layup giving the Bobcats a one-point lead. However, the Rams made a free throw to tie the contest at 59-59 to give QU a chance for the win with just under 20 seconds remaining.
With a shot at a comeback win, Grisdale initiated the offense and nearly lost the ball on a double team. While falling, Grisdale shuffled a pass to Bri Bowen in the corner who knocked down the floater from the mid-range at the buzzer for the 61-59 win.
Bowen's buzzer-beater landed at No. 9 on SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays.

WELL THAT WAS FUN

Quinnipiac women's basketball opened the 2023-24 season with a 13-point victory at home, downing America East powerhouse Maine, 70-57, on Nov. 6 inside M&T Bank Arena.
With the win, the Bobcats open the season at 1-0 for the first time since the 2020-21 season.
Anna Foley scored 21 points in her collegiate debut. The most by a rookie in their QU debut in the program's Div. I history. Foley totaled 21 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two blocks for the game.
Jackie Grisdale added 17 points, while Ella O'Donnell recorded 16 points and five rebounds in the win.
Karson Martin totaled nine points and four assists off the bench in her collegiate debut.
Paige Girardi added seven rebounds and three assists to contribute to the victory in her collegiate debut.
Newcomers Bri Bowen, Maria Kealy, and Kassidy Thompson all made their collegiate debuts in the win on Nov. 6.

CAPTAIN JACK

With the title, Grisdale is the first singular captain in Quinnipiac's Div. I history and first under Fabbri during her 29 years at the program's helm.
Grisdale was named to the Preseason All-MAAC Second Team as announced by the league office as part of the inaugural MAAC Basketball Tipoff held at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, NJ. on Tuesday, Oct. 17.
Grisdale is averaging a career-high 15.0 points per game, while shooting 45.1 percent from the field and 47.2 percent from three-point range.
Grisdale's three-point field goal percentage is second in the MAAC and ranks 33rd in the nation.
Grisdale has reached double-figure point totals in all seven of Quinnipiac's contests this season.
She tallied a season-best 24 points in Quinnipiac's contest against Towson in the Navy Classic on Nov. 26.
Grisdale dropped 17 points to help lead Quinnipiac to a win over Maine in the season-opener on Nov. 6.
As a sophomore last season, Grisdale started in all 30 games and averaged career-highs of 9.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 0.8 steals per game.
Earning MAAC All-Rookie Team honors in 2021-22, Grisdale became the first player in program history to earn all-conference honors as a walk-on.

BACK ON THE BLOCK

Sophomore Ella O'Donnell is primed for a breakout campaign, following a strong rookie year.
O'Donnell is averaging 9.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.4 steals per game this season while shooting 47.3 percent from the field this season.
O'Donnell is averaging career-high totals in points, rebounds, assists and steals.
O'Donnell was named to the Navy Classic All-Tournament Team after averaging 18.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game in two contests.
O'Donnell opened the weekend with a career-high 22 points to go along with 11 rebounds for the first double-double of her collegiate career in Quinnipiac's contest against Navy on Nov. 25.
She totaled 14 points and nine rebounds in the Bobcats' contest against Towson to wrap up the Navy Classic on Nov. 26.
Earning MAAC All-Rookie Team honors, O'Donnell shined as a first-year for the Bobcats.
O'Donnell appeared in all 30 games last season, making 15 starts.
Last season she averaged 4.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 0.8 steals in 20.0 minutes per game.
A native of Shankill, Ireland, O'Donnell is a member of the Irish women's basketball national team.
This past summer, O'Donnell was a member of the U20 Irish National Team for the 2023 FIBA U20 Women's European Championship in Romania, where her team finished in sixth.
O'Donnell averaged 10.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game during the tournament.
She made her Irish senior women's national team debut at 18 years old in 2022.

GRACE THE ACE

Junior Grace LaBarge emerged as a reliable two-way option for the Bobcats off the bench as a sophomore in 2022-23.
LaBarge is averaging career-highs of 7.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
LaBarge scored a career-high 20 points against Princeton on Dec. 6.
In the 20-point outburst against Princeton, LaBarge was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field, 3-for-3 from three, and 5-for-5 from the charity stripe.
Last season LaBarge averaged 4.3 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.
She averaged 8.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 41.7% from the field and 44.8% from three in over her last nine contests in 2022-23.
She shot 37.0% from three-point range and knocked down 20 three-pointers, which ranked fourth on the team in 2022-23.

BRAND NEW BOBCATS

Quinnipiac Head Coach Tricia Fabbri retooled her roster, bringing in eight newcomers, including a class of seven rookies.
Fabbri's seven rookies are her largest class of first-years in her 29 years at the program's helm.

FABULOUS FOLEY

Possibly the gem of the class, Anna Foley comes in as a first-year likely to play heavy minutes early on.
On the season, Foley is averaging 12.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 0.9 steals per game.
• Foley leads the team in assists and blocks per game, while ranking second in points, rebounds, and steals per game.
• Foley has led the Bobcats in assists in six of seven games this season.
• Foley's 3.7 assists per game is tops on the team and ranks fifth in the MAAC.
• Her 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio is the second-best among MAAC players.
• Foley ranks fourth in the MAAC in blocks (9) and blocks per game (1.3).
Foley totaled 14 points and a career-high 12 rebounds for the first double-double of her collegiate career in Quinnipiac's contest against Towson on Nov. 26.
Foley tallied 12 points, six assists, five rebounds, two blocks, and two steals against Vermont on Nov. 17.
Foley tallied a career-high four blocks against Harvard on Nov. 12.
Anna Foley totaled 21 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two blocks in her collegiate debut to help lead Quinnipiac past Maine in the season-opener on Nov. 6.
Foley's 21 points in the opener was the most by a rookie in their QU debut in the program's Div. I history.
Foley Graduated from Andover with four varsity letters in women's basketball.
She scored 1,139 total career points at Andover.
She averaged 16.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 2.5 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game as a senior en route to being named the 2022-23 Max Preps Massachusetts Basketball Player of the Year.
A two-time Conference MVP, Foley helped lead Andover to two conference titles and two state championships.

HERE COMES K-MART

A true point guard, Karson Martin looks to bring her tenacity to the backcourt in Hamden.
In four games off the bench, Martin is averaging 9.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game, while shooting 42.5 percent from the floor.
Martin has scored eight or more points off the bench in all four of her appearances this season.
She tallied a career-high 12 points against Vermont on Nov. 17.
Martin scored nine points off the bench against Harvard on Nov. 12.
Martin totaled nine points, four assists, and two rebounds off the bench in her collegiate debut to help lead QU past Maine on Nov. 6.
Martin graduated from Woodstock High School with four varsity letters in women's basketball.
She concluded her high school career with over 1,500 points scored and over 500 rebounds.
As a senior, Martin led the state of Georgia in points and steals per game.
A two-time First Team All-Region selection, Martin was also a two-time Second Team All-Region honoree and two-time Second Team All-County selection.

GNARLY GIRARDI

The first of Fabbri's class to commit to QU, Paige Girardi comes in as a guard who can slot in at any spot in the backcourt.
Girardi scored a career-high 15 points and played in all 40 minutes in Quinnipiac's 61-59 victory over URI on Nov. 30.
Girardi grabbed seven rebounds and dished out three assists in her collegiate debut in the win over Maine on Nov. 6.
Girardi graduated from Warwick Valley High School with five varsity letters in women's basketball and over 1,000 points scored.
As a senior, Girardi averaged 20.6 points per game en route to being named the BCANY Player of the Year.
Girardi owns Warwick Valley basketball records for most three-pointers made in a single season (77), most three-pointers made in a game (6), highest three-percentage (44%), and most points scored in a single season (425).
A two-time All-BCANY First Team selection, Girardi was a BCANY All-Star Team selection and BCANY All-Tournament Team Selection as a senior.
A two-time Class AA All-State selection, Girardi helped lead Warwick Valley to five division championships, and the 2021-22 Sectional and Regional Championship in 2021-22.

MAGIC MARIA

A point guard's point guard, Maria Kealy joins the Bobcats from Donegal, Ireland.
Member of the U20 Irish National Team for the 2023 FIBA U20 Women's European Championship in Romania.
Kealy averaged 5.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game at the 2023 FIBA U20 Women's European Championship.
Kealy made her Irish women's national team debut at 17 years old in 2021 for the U18 squad at the European Championships.
Kealy served as vice-captain for Team Ireland U18 at the 2022 European Championships held in Bulgaria.
She averaged 6.9 points, 7.4 assists, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.1 steals per game for Team Ireland at the 2022 European Championships.
She graduated from Loreto Letterkenny with four varsity letters in women's basketball.
Led the Letterkenny Blaze to four consecutive Northwest League and Cup championships.

TENACIOUS THOMPSON

A two-way wing, Kassidy Thompson aims to prove herself this season as a hard-nosed defender for the Bobcats.
Thompson graduated from Camden Catholic with four varsity letters in women's basketball.
She concluded her high school career with 1,563 points scored, 548 rebounds, 152 steals, and 117 made three-pointers.
Thompson was selected as a 2023 McDonald's All-American Nominee.
She was 1 of 5 Finalists for the 2023 New Jersey Prep Girls Hoops Player of the Year as a senior.
Thompson was selected to play in the 2023 Philadelphia All-American game, where she was named the game's MVP.
Thompson hails from a family that has succeeded at the Div. I level for basketball.
Her father, Michael, played basketball at Drexel.
Her brother, Kyle, played basketball at La Salle, while her sister, Kennedi, played basketball at Binghamton and currently serves as a women's basketball assistant coach for Army West Point.

EPIC EMMA

A stretch-four, Emma Carman comes to Hamden with a bunch of energy and is ready to hoop for the Bobcats.
Carman Graduated from Red Bank Catholic with four varsity letters in women's basketball.
She was ranked as the No. 9 player in her class via MaxPreps.
Carman was a Second Team All-Shore selection as a junior.
She was named as a WOBM Tournament First Team selection as a senior.
Carman helped lead Red Bank Catholic to four conference championships.

SENSATIONAL SOLLENNE

Ava Sollenne joins the Bobcats as a walk-on guard for the 2023-24 season.
Sollenne graduated from St. Luke's School with four varsity letters in women's basketball.
She averaged 14.5 points, 4.0 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game as a senior.
Sollenne shot 40.0% from three-point range as a senior.
A two-time All-NEPSAC selection, Sollenne was also an FAA First Team selection as a senior and FAA Second Team selection as a junior.
Sollenne helped lead St. Luke's to two FAA Championships.
She aided St. Luke's to the school's first-ever New England Championship as a senior.

C'MON BARBRI LET'S GO PARTY

A transfer from Delaware, Bri Bowen joins the Bobcats as a sophomore for the 2023-24 season.
Bowen scored the game-winning basket at the buzzer in Quinnipiac's thrilling win over URI on the road, 61-59, on Nov. 30.
Bowen's buzzer-beater was featured at No. 9 on SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays.
Bowen scored her first career points against Harvard, posting seven in the contest on Nov. 12.
Bowen graduated from Archbishop Wood with four varsity letters in women's basketball.
She averaged 10.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.0 assists per game during her time at Archbishop Wood.
A two-time captain at Archbishop Wood, Bowen was a 2022 McDonald's All-American nominee.
Bowen earned All-Catholic Philadelphia Catholic League First Team honors and was a PIAA All-State selection as a senior.
A three-time Montgomery County Times Herald All-Area Team selection, Bowen was also a three-time Bucks-Mont Intelligencer/Courier All-Area Team honoree.
Bowen Aided Archbishop Wood to a PIAA State Championship as a senior and helped lead them to a Philly Catholic League Championship as a junior.

WELCOME HOME SAMMY G

Quinnipiac University women's basketball Head Coach Tricia Fabbri announced the addition of alumnae Sam Guastella '15 as an assistant coach to the program on Friday, Aug. 11.
Before joining Quinnipiac, Guastella served as an assistant coach at nearby Yale University, where she began the alumni mentorship program while developing student-athletes on and off the court and excelling in student-athlete recruitment and scouting reports for game preparation.
Before her time at Yale, Guastella spent two seasons at Temple, helping the Owls to a pair of American Athletic Conference Tournament appearances.
Before that, she got her start in coaching as a graduate assistant at La Salle in 2018-19 and was elevated to an assistant coach role for the 2019-20 season. She helped the Explorers more than double their overall and Atlantic 10 win totals in her second year.
At La Salle in 2019-20, she helped the Explorers to their first win over a Power 5 program (Penn State) since November 2015.
She worked directly with guard/forward Kayla Spruill, helping her earn the Big 5 Most Improved Player Award after nearly doubling her points per game and tripling her rebounds per game.
Guastella's playing career was marked by success in Hamden, including a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances, a couple of WNIT appearances, and a pair of conference championships at Quinnipiac.
She led the Bobcats to the best record in program history in 2014-15 (31-4). That included an undefeated conference mark of 20-0 and Quinnipiac's first MAAC Championship.
She was a First Team All-MAAC selection and finished her career as the Bobcats' all-time leader with 225 career three-pointers.
She also had the most career blocked shots (179) of anyone in QU's Division I era (since 1998-99) and served as team captain.

PRESEASON ACCLAIM

Quinnipiac women's basketball was tabbed No. 5 in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, as announced by the league office as part of the inaugural MAAC Basketball Tip-off held at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, NJ. on Tuesday, Oct. 17.
The Bobcats received 81 points in the preseason coaches' poll – finishing behind Niagara (116 points), Siena (112 points), Fairfield (87 points) and Marist (86 points).
Quinnipiac junior Jackie Grisdale was named to the Preseason All-MAAC Second Team as well.
As a sophomore last season, Grisdale started in all 30 games and averaged career-highs of 9.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 0.8 steals per game.
As a first-year and walk-on for the 2021-22 season, Grisdale appeared in 27 games and averaged 4.7 points and 1.6 rebounds per game en route to earning MAAC All-Rookie Team honors.

NEXT TIME OUT

The Bobcats will be back in action on Monday, Dec. 18, when Quinnipiac opens MAAC play on the road at Rider.
Tip-off from Alumni Gymnasium is set for 7 p.m.

To stay up to date with all Quinnipiac women's basketball news, follow the program on Twitter/Instagram @QU_WBB or visit www.gobobcats.com/wbb.

Schedule

Bobcats Host Holy Cross Sunday in Final Home Game of 2023

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Players Mentioned

Bri Bowen

Emma Carman

Anna Foley

Paige Girardi

Jackie Grisdale

Maria Kealy

Grace LaBarge

Karson Martin

Ella O'Donnell

Ava Sollenne

Kassidy Thompson

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Bobcats Host Holy Cross Sunday in Final Home Game of 2023

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Bri Bowen

Emma Carman

Anna Foley

Paige Girardi

Jackie Grisdale

Maria Kealy

Grace LaBarge

Karson Martin

Ella O'Donnell

Ava Sollenne

Kassidy Thompson

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