Photo courtesy QU Athletics
By John Franklin
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After Thursday’s 85-58 win over the Monmouth Hawks, the Quinnipiac women’s basketball is now on a season-best a seven game winning streak. The last loss for this Bobcats team was the first of 2016 in a 63-60 loss to the same Monmouth Hawks on Jan. 2 on the road.
“Obviously there was revenge,” freshman forward Paula Strautmane said. “It was a painful loss, but we wanted this one really bad.”
From the opening tip the game was all Bobcats as they jumped out to an early 31-11 lead in the first quarter. The last seven Forwards Paula Strautmane, Sarah Shewan, and Morgan Manz accounted for 26 of the team’s 31 first quarter points. The trio also connected on four of the five three-pointers the Bobcats had in the first quarter.
The strong stretch of MAAC wins have seen the Bobcats work the ball inside, and this game looked all the same.
“Our game has gone more to the inside, but we don’t just look for the post,” Shewan said. “If you look, we shot lights on from the outside. It speaks a lot about our team and the way we work.”
The rest of the game continued to be a Strautmane and Shewan highlight reel, with the two compiling 28 of Quinnipiac’s 85 points. Strautmane finished the game with her first career double-double, finishing contest with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
“It was good,” Strautmane said of the accomplishment. “I am happy for it, but I am happier we got the win.”
The Bobcats were able to convert in the turnover department as well. The Bobcats cashed in with 27 points off turnovers, compared to the Hawks’ nine.
The Bobcats also had another key performance from the bench, putting up 47 points, something that seems commonplace to assistant coach Mountain MacGillivray.
“I think any time we put up a big number, you’re going to see a big number from our bench,” MacGillvray said. “If you look at our bench number on the season it’s pretty gigantic.”
The Bobcats have found their stride as they head into the throes of conference play. After this 27-point trouncing over Monmouth, the Bobcats look to face Manhattan which got the better on the Bobcats in the last matchup in early December.
“[We’re] fun to watch,” MacGillvray said about his team. “I think it’s been that way for a while. It’s fun to watch and I‘d like to see some more people coming out and cheering us on.”
