Photo courtesy Quinnipiac Athletics
By: Dylan Fearon
The Bobcats are back. Back again. Back in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament championship game. The Quinnipiac women’s basketball team has been in the MAAC for three years, and all three years it has been in the title game. It’s 40 minutes away from an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. In 2014, the Bobcats lost to Marist in Springfield, Massachusetts. Last year, Quinnipiac got revenge, defeating the Red Foxes in Albany. Now the Bobcats are back at Times Union Center in search of a second straight championship. The opponent standing in the way? The Iona Gaels. Three keys for Tricia Fabbri and company.
Replacing Maria Napolitano
Well, you can’t replace her, you can only hope that the other players can perform a little bit better than usual and make up for her absence. Napolitano, a second team all-MAAC selection this year, injured her knee in the semifinals Sunday in a 66-59 win over Monmouth. Without the seniors production (11.1 points and 1.5 steals per game), Monday has become even more interesting, if you can believe it. So what do the Bobcats do? Pound it inside. In the two matchups this season, the Bobcats outrebounded Iona 32-21 in the 16-point victory back on Feb. 28, but lost the battle on the boards by three in the one-point win on Feb. 22. The Bobcats have to be more physical than the Gaels Monday with Napolitano out. Freshmen Paula Strautmane and Aryn McClure need to pound the glass and make sure Iona doesn’t get second chance opportunities.
Contain Iona’s role players
It’s going to be very difficult to stop Iona studs Joy Adams and Marina Lizarazu, two first team All-MAAC selections this season. But if the Bobcats can stymie the Gaels’ role players, it will be very tough for Iona to lift the trophy. Two players do not make a team. Billi Godsey’s other options offensively are Karynda DuPree, Aaliyah Robinson and Co-Sixth Player of the Year Alexis Lewis. Lewis has to be a focal point for Fabbri’s squad Monday night. The Pittston, Pennsylvania product had 14 points, seven rebound and two steals in the Gaels’ first matchup against Quinnipiac, which resulted in a one point win for Quinnipiac. But in the second game between the top-seeded programs, Quinnipiac won by 16. Lewis’ night? Just two points and five rebounds. She can be that key third option for Iona, and the first off the pine. If she shows up Monday, we’ll have a game. If the Bobcats can contain the role players, it won’t be that close.
Strong Shooting Start
One thing that is noticeable about Iona is that if you get them down early, it’s hard for them to make runs and come back into the game. So if Quinnipiac can start strong, it might be able to put the Gaels away. Back on the 28th, Quinnipiac shot 41 percent from the field in the first half, compared to the 34 percent clip the Bobcats shot on the 22nd. In the MAAC Tournament, the Bobcats have started strong in one game, and were very cold in the other. Quinnipiac shot 52 percent from the field in the quarterfinals against Niagara, but just 30 percent in the semifinals against Monmouth. We’ll see which Quinnipiac team shows up Monday, but if it can start strong, it has a great chance to hoist the trophy for the second straight year.
So there you have it. Quinnipiac and Iona at 2:30 live on ESPNU. The MAAC championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Don’t you just love March?
