Quinnipiac Welcomes Iona for New Year's Day Matchup

Thursday, January 1

Hamden, Conn.

2:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

Iona

Tickets From $13 - $15

Photo by: Rob Rasmussen / P8Photos.com

Quinnipiac Welcomes Iona for New Year's Day Matchup

12/31/2025 11:25:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Game #13: Quinnipiac Bobcats (8-4, 3-0 MAAC) vs Iona Gaels (8-5, 1-2 MAAC)
Thursday, January 1, 2026 | 2:00 PM
Hamden, Conn. | M&T Bank Arena
Watch (NESN): Click Here | Watch (ESPN+): Click Here | Int'l Stream: Click Here | Live Stats: Click Here | Game Notes: Click Here | @QU_WBB

HAMDEN, Conn. – The Quinnipiac Bobcats kick off the New Year with a New Year's Day matchup against the Iona Gaels. Tip-off from M&T Bank Arena is slated for 2 PM and can be seen on NESN and ESPN+. Thursday's matchup marks the 27th time the Bobcats and Gaels are facing off.

Follow @QU_WBB on Instagram/X for in-game updates all season long.

LAST TIME OUT

The Quinnipiac Bobcats closed out 2025 with a 67-27 win over the Saint Peter's Peacocks on Monday evening in Jersey City, improving to 3-0 in MAAC Play.
The Bobcats set a new school record for the fewest points allowed in the Division I era, allowing just 27 in the win.
Ella O'Donnell led the way with 12 points on 5-for-6 (83.8%) shooting from the floor. or. O'Donnell grabbed four rebounds on the defensive end and three on the offensive end for seven total rebounds.
Karson Martin scored 10 points in the win. Eight Bobcats recorded 5 or more points as they stay unbeaten in MAAC play.
Nine different Bobcats recorded points in the forty-point win over the Peacocks.

SCOUTING THE GAELS

The Iona Gaels are led by head coach Angelika Szumilo, who holds a 30-45 record in her third season as the head coach at Iona. Szumilo holds a 102-90 overall record in her seven seasons as a head coach (4 at FDU, 3 at Iona).
The Gaels hold an 8-5 record, defeating Mercy, New Haven, Wagner, Saint Francis, UIC, UMass Lowell, Navy, and Rider, while falling to Charleston, Davidson, Dartmouth, Sacred Heart (OT), and Mount St. Mary's.
The last time out, Iona earned their first MAAC win of the season, defeating the Rider Broncs (Dec. 29), 72-53, on their home floor. Isabellah Middleton led the Gaels in scoring, dropping 14 points on 6-for-9 (66.7%) shooting from the field. Mya Zaccagnini and Zoey Ward each scored ten points in the win over Rider. Iona shot 42.2% (27-64) from the field, 45.8% (11-24) from three-point range, and 70% (7-10) at the free-throw line to earn their first conference win of the season.
The Gaels average 58.4 points per game, while holding their opponents to an average of just 58.0 points per game this year.
Iona is outscoring their opponents 759-754 (+5) this season and has a scoring margin of 0.4.
As a team, Iona is averaging 58.4 points per game, while shooting 34.2% (280-818) from the field, 27.0% (71-263) from three-point range, and 69.6% (128-184) from the free-throw line.
The Gaels are allowing their opponents to average just 58.0 points per game so far this season, which ranks second in the MAAC and 67th in the nation.
Iona averages 38.8 rebounds per game and allows their opponents to average 39.7 rebounds per game.
Iona averages 12.8 turnovers per game and forces 16.1 turnovers per game from its opponents.
Isabellah Middleton leads Iona in scoring with an average of 13.5 points per game in 13 games so far this season.
Middleton has started all 13 games this season and shoots 40.7% (68-167) from the field, 33.3% (10-for-30) from three-point range, and 61.2% (30-for-49) from the charity stripe.
Iona is 3-3 on the road this season and average 56.3 points per game in those contests.
Iona (100 points) was picked to finish sixth in the Preseason MAAC Coaches' Poll.
Iona's current NET Ranking is 267 (as of Wed, Dec. 31).

DIV. I HISTORY VS. IONA

Thursday's matchup marks the 27th time the Bobcats and Gaels are facing off.
Quinnipiac is 17-9 against Iona, dating back to March 19th, 2008.
Last time the two teams faced off, the Bobcats defeated the Gaels, 79-51 in the MAAC Quarterfinals, back on March 12th, 2025.
Quinnipiac was led by Gal Raviv, who scored 23 points on 11-for-16 (69%) shooting from the floor. Ella O'Donnell and Karson Martin reached double figures, scoring 12 and 11, respectively. Martin led the Bobcats with 7 rebounds in 35 minutes of action.
The Bobcats are 224-79 (.739) all-time against current MAAC members.

BOBCATS BY THE NUMBERS (As of Dec. 31st)

1 (First): Quinnipiac is first in the MAAC with a 14.4 scoring margin.
1 (First): Jackie Grisdale ranks first in the MAAC in three pointers (36) and three pointers per game (3.00).
1 (First): The Bobcats currently rank first in the conference by allowing just 52.9 points per game.
2 (Two): The Bobcats have two of the top three-point shooters in the MAAC in Jackie Grisdale and Ella Ryan. Both rank in the top six in the MAAC in three-pointers and three-pointers per game.
3 (Third): Jackie Grisdale is third in the MAAC in minutes played this season with an average of 34.74 minutes per game.
3 (Third): Ella Ryan ranks third among first-years in the conference in scoring with an average of 11.7 points per game and 140 total points.
3 (Third): Paige Girardi ranks 3rd in the nation with a 4.63 assist/turnover ratio, which also ranks 1st in the MAAC.
4 (Fourth): Paige Girardi ranks fourth in the conference with an average of 3.1 assists per game.
5 (Fifth): Jackie Grisdale ranks 5th in the conference, averaging 14.7 points per game.
9 (Ninth): The Bobcats rank 9th in the country with an average of 10.8 turnovers per game, which also leads the MAAC.
9 (Ninth): Sydney Ryan ranks 9th in the MAAC with 6.8 rebounds per game.
13 (Thirteenth): Quinnipiac is currently 13th in the nation with a 1.53 assist/turnover ratio, which also ranks first in the conference.
13 (Thirteenth): Quinnipiac is currently 13th in the country, allowing just 52.9 points per game.
15 (Fifteenth): The Bobcats rank 15th in the country in three-point percentage (38.2), which ranks second in the MAAC.
15 (Fifteen): Sydney Ryan sits 15 points away from reaching the 1,000-point mark in her collegiate career.
18 (Eighteenth): Jackie Grisdale became the 18th Bobcat in their Division I history to join the 1,000-point Club on Wednesday at Boston College.
20 (Twenty): The Bobcats have won six games by 20+ points (Yale, Colgate, Boston College, Cornell, Manhattan, and Saint Peter's).
27 (Twenty-Seven): The Bobcats held the Peacocks to just 27 points, setting a new Division I team record for fewest points allowed in a single game.
28 (Twenty-Eighth): Grisdale is the 28th Bobcat in program history to reach the 1,000-Point mark.

BOBCATS IMPROVE TO 2-0 IN MAAC PLAY

The Quinnipiac women's basketball team improved to 2-0 in conference play with a 76-67 win over the Marist Red Foxes on Sunday evening in Poughkeepsie, New York.
Sydney Ryan led the Bobcats in scoring with 19 points on 55.6% (5-9) shooting from the field and knocked down four threes in seven attempts.
Ella O'Donnell added 16 points on 66.7% shooting from the floor. O'Donnell grabbed 5 rebounds and dished out 5 assists.
Jackie Grisdale scored 14 points in the win and went 6-6 from the free-throw line.
The Bobcats started on a 25-3 scoring run and never looked back, leading for 99.2% of the game.

FOLEY LEADS QU TO BIG WIN IN MAAC OPENER

The Quinnipiac women's basketball team opened conference play with a 78-39 win over the Manhattan Jaspers on Friday morning in Hamden on Kids Day.
Anna Foley led the Bobcats with 18 points on 70% (7-for-10) shooting from the floor in the MAAC opener against Manhattan. Foley also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, dished out four assists, recorded three blocks, and one steal in the win.
Jackie Grisdale also reached double figures, scoring 12 points in the effort.
Quinnipiac recorded 25 assists as a team on 28 made field goals.
The Bobcats forced 22 turnovers and scored 27 points off those turnovers.

BOBCATS FALL TO MAINE AT HOME

The Quinnipiac women's basketball team was defeated by the Maine Black Bears, 63-55, on Sunday, December 14th, in Hamden.
Ella Ryan led the way in scoring for the Bobcats, scoring 17 points on 70% (7-for-10) shooting from the floor and 3-for-4 (75%) from three-point range.
Ella O'Donnell reached double figures, scoring eleven points in the loss.
Sydney Ryan and Anna Foley led the team with eight rebounds each.
Ella O'Donnell and Paige Girardi dished out a team-high four assists.
Quinnipiac led the Black Bears at the half, 30-23, but was outscored 40-25 in the second half to drop their final non-conference game of the regular season.

GRISDALE, O'DONNELL LEAD QU PAST CORNELL

For the fourth time this season, the Bobcats defeated their opponent by 20+ points as they dominated the Cornell Big Red, 68-47.
Jackie Grisdale led the Bobcats in scoring with 25 points on 64.3% shooting.
Jackie Grisdale tied the QU Division I Single Game Record with seven made threes in the win.
Ella O'Donnell had a big day as she set a new season-high with 19 points.
Sydney Ryan reached double figures for the fifth time this season, scoring 11.
Quinnipiac scored the first bucket of the game and never looked back as they extended the win streak to three.

GRISDALE SCORES 1,000TH POINT IN BIG WIN OVER BC

The Quinnipiac women's basketball team returned from Thanksgiving Break and defeated the Boston College Eagles, 76-49, on Wednesday afternoon.
Sydney Ryan led the Bobcats in scoring with 18 points on 54.5% shooting.
Jackie Grisdale added 17 points and became the 28th member of the 1,000-Point Club in program history.
Ella Ryan reached double figures for the fifth time this season (11 points).
Anna Foley recorded her second straight double-double, recording 10 points and 13 rebounds in the win.
As a team, the Bobcats recorded 26 assists on 30 made field goals, the most assists they have recorded in a single game since Feb. 17, 2021, against Siena (26).
The win was Quinnipiac's first-ever win against Boston College.
This was the Bobcats' first win over an ACC team since March 17, 2018 (86-72 win over Miami) and fourth-ever win against current ACC teams in program history.
Quinnipiac defeated Boston College by 27, which gives them back-to-back 27-point wins, which is tied for their largest margin of victory this season.

QUINNIPIAC HANDS COLGATE FIRST LOSS OF SEASON

The Quinnipiac women's basketball team handed the Colgate Raiders their first loss of the season, defeating them 77-50 on Sunday, November 23rd.
Jackie Grisdale led the Bobcats in scoring with 19 points on 58.3% (7-for-12) shooting from the floor.
Ella Ryan knocked down four threes in the win as she scored 18 points.
Anna Foley stuffed the stat sheet, recording 15 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists off the bench. Foley recorded 10+ points, 5+ rebounds, and 5+ assists for the ninth time as a Bobcat.
Quinnipiac controlled play much of the game, leading for 34:38 of the game.

QUINNIPIAC'S COMEBACK FALLS SHORT AGAINST CHARLESTON

The Quinnipiac women's basketball team fell in a hard-fought battle, 75-71, to the College of Charleston on Friday night in Hamden.
Ella Ryan had a career night, dropping 22 points and shot 6-for-8 from beyond the three-point arc.
Sydney Ryan finished with 14 points, recording double-figures for the second straight game.
Ella O'Donnell and Jackie Grisdale both reached double-digits in points, scoring 13 and 12, respectively.
Quinnipiac trailed by nine at the halftime break and outscored the Cougars 43-38 in the second half but fell just short.

BOBCATS DEFEAT YALE BY 23

The Quinnipiac women's basketball team defeated the Yale Bulldogs, 69-46, on Tuesday night in New Haven.
Ella O'Donnell led the Bobcats with 14 points on 42.9% (6-for-14) shooting from the floor and finished one rebound shy of a double-double.
Sydney Ryan recorded her first double-double as a Bobcat, recording 13 points and 13 rebounds in the win.
Ella Ryan (11 points), Jackie Grisdale (11 points), and Paige Girardi (10 points) each reached double figures.
The Bobcats jumped out to an early lead in the opening quarter and never looked back as they led for 38:58 (97.4%) of the game.

BOBCATS DROP HOME OPENER TO ST. JOHN'S

The Quinnipiac women's basketball team dropped their home opener to the St. John's Red Storm, 53-51, on Tuesday night in Hamden.
Ella O'Donnell led the Bobcats in scoring with 16 points on 53.8% (7-for-13) shooting from the floor.
O'Donnell also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds in the loss.
Jackie Grisdale scored 15 points in the loss as she recorded 15+ points in all three games so far this season.
The Bobcats led at the half by two and had their lead get up to nine in the fourth quarter before St. John's closed out the game on a 20-9 run to beat the Bobcats.

BOBCATS FALL TO RUTGERS

The Quinnipiac women's basketball team dropped their non-conference game to Rutgers on Thursday, Nov. 6, 64-55.
Jackie Grisdale led the Bobcats with 19 points on 7-for-13 (53.8%) from the field and knocked down four three-pointers on seven attempts.
Ella Ryan got the first start of her collegiate career and dropped 14 points in the effort.
Ella O'Donnell racked up seven points, five rebounds, and five assists. Her five assists are a single-game high.
Emma Lizotte and Ella O'Donnell tied for the team lead with five rebounds each.
Quinnipiac shot 9-for-24 (37.5%) from beyond the three-point arc in the loss to Rutgers.

SEASON OPENING WIN OVER BU

The Quinnipiac women's basketball team won their season opener for the third straight season, defeating Boston University 65-55 on Monday night.
Jackie Grisdale led the Bobcats with 17 points in the win. Grisdale shot 50% from the floor and 37.5% from three-point range.
Karson Martin (14 points), Sydney Ryan (12 points), and Anna Foley (10 points) all reached double figures.
Ella Ryan added eight points off the bench in the first regular-season game of her collegiate career.
The Bobcats went 10-for-10 from the charity stripe in the win. Quinnipiac iced the game at the line, going 4-for-4 down the stretch.

PRESEASON NEWS

The Quinnipiac women's basketball team was picked to finish 2nd in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
Quinnipiac received 155 total points, finishing behind only Fairfield, who were unanimously selected to finish first in the conference.
Anna Foley was named to the Preseason All-MAAC First Team after averaging 10.9 PPG and 5.4 RPG last year in Hamden.
Jackie Grisdale was also named to the Preseason All-MAAC First Team after averaging 10.8 points per game last year.
Junior guard Karson Martin was selected to the Preseason All-MAAC Second Team after averaging 9.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per game in 33 contests last year.

LEADER OF THE PACK

Head coach Tricia Fabbri is in her 31st season at the helm of the Bobcats in 2025-26.
A six-time Coach of the Year and all-time winningest coach in program history, Fabbri has totaled 552 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 552 wins, 537 have come in Quinnipiac's Div. I era.
In 2024-25, Fabbri led the Bobcats to 28 wins and their first WBIT Appearance.
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 13 seasons, including a run of eight straight seasons from 2011-2019.
With five NCAA Tournament appearances along with five WNIT berths, Fabbri has led QU to 11 postseason national tournaments in her tenure.
She has led Quinnipiac to five conference titles in the last 12 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 147-37 (.799) in games played at home.
In that same span, the Bobcats own a mark of 107-21 (.836) in conference play (NEC & MAAC) at home.
Quinnipiac owns a 171-79 (.684) mark since November 22, 2017.
The Bobcats stand with a mark of 97-21 (.822) at home in league games since joining the MAAC in 2013-14.
The Bobcats are 90-18 (.833) at M&T Bank Arena in conference games since the start of the 2014-15 campaign.

CLOSING TIME

Quinnipiac has enjoyed a great deal of success over the past five 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 199-21 (.905) since the start of 2014-15 in games in which Quinnipiac leads at the half.
•This season, the Bobcats hold an 8-3 record in games in which they lead at the half and 0-1 in games in which they trail at the half.

LEADERSHIP GROUP

Head Coach Tricia Fabbri announced the leadership group ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Graduate student Jackie Grisdale, senior Ella O'Donnell, and junior Anna Foley were named team captains.

BRAND NEW BOBCATS

Quinnipiac Head Coach Tricia Fabbri built on her returning foundation, bringing in three newcomers, including a class of two first-year students.

SYDNEY RYAN TRANSFERS TO QU

Sydney Ryan joins the Bobcats after three seasons at Furman University.
Ryan finished last season with the third-highest three-point percentage on the team, 32.0% (62-for-194).
The Nashville, TN native played a large portion of minutes for Furman, as she averaged 31.8 minutes per game in her junior season.
Ryan comes to the Bobcats and brings scoring and rebounding, ranking within the top five on her squad in both categories.
Sydney Ryan comes to Quinnipiac and reunites with her younger sister, Ella Ryan.

ELLA RYAN COMES TO CT

Ella Ryan comes to Quinnipiac from Brentwood High School in Nashville, Tennessee.
Ryan holds the record at Brentwood for the Most Career Points (2,321), Most Career Rebounds (600), Most Career Three-Pointers Made (309), Most Career Steals (275), Most Points in a Single Season (689), and Most Points in a Single Game (40).
Ryan is a four-time All-District Team Selection, a two-time All-Region Team Selection, a two-time TSWA 4A All-State Selection, and a one-time Region MVP (2024).
Ryan averaged 25 PPG, 5 RPG, 3 APG, 3 SPG, and shot 38% from three-point range in her senior season.
Ryan will play alongside her older sister, Sydney Ryan, for the first time since high school.

NEAL JOINS THE SQUAD

Aniyah Neal comes to Quinnipiac after attending the Loomis Chaffee School.
Neal is a two-time Founder League Champion, a two-time NEPSAC Class-A Champion, a 2025 All-NEPSAC Honorable Mention, a 2022-23 NYSPHSAA Section III Class A All-Tournament Selection, a 2022-23 New York State All-CNY First Team Selection, and a 2021-22 NYSPHSAA Section III Class A All-Tournament Team Selection.
Neal is a native of Syracuse, New York, and comes to Hamden for her first season in 2025-26.

ANOTHER FABBRI ON THE STAFF

Head Coach Tricia Fabbri announced the addition of her daughter and former player, Carly Fabbri '18, to the staff ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Fabbri had a four-year career in Hamden and earned multiple MAAC All-Tournament Honors and an All-MAAC Third Team distinction in her senior season.
In her senior season in Hamden, Fabbri averaged 9.6 points per game and was ranked 11th in the nation with a 2.90 assist-to-turnover ratio, recording 142 assists and 49 turnovers.
Fabbri was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team and the MAAC All-Academic Team after a stellar senior year.
In her junior campaign, Fabbri recorded 11 PPG, dished out three assists per game, and grabbed three rebounds per game at the MAAC Tournament to earn All-Tournament honors.
Fabbri was named to the MAAC All-Academic Team after her sophomore season. Fabbri ranked 12th in the MAAC in assists per game, tied for sixth in three-point percentage, and tied for 12th in three-pointers made per game (1.5).

NEXT TIME OUT

The Bobcats head back on the road on Saturday, January 3^rd, as they travel to Lawrenceville, New Jersey, to take on the Rider Broncs.
Tip-off from Alumni Gymnasium is slated for 2 PM and can be seen on ESPN+.

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