Taking care of business has been the mantra for Quinnipiac this season and it has some unfinished business waiting for it in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship Game. The Bobcats return to the title game Monday after defeating the Siena Saints 64-47 in the MAAC Tournament semifinals.
Senior forward Sam Guastella scored 20 points shooting 6-for-12 from 3-point range and senior guard Jasmine Martin contributed 23 points going 3-for-6 from behind the arc to lead the Bobcats. Quinnipiac used efficient three-point shooting on their way to victory.
“We had the opportunity to spread the floor play perimeter ball,” Quinnipiac head coach Tricia Fabbri said. “We’ve had it in our arsenal all year long, it’s been the balance attack.”
The Bobcats shot a solid 38 percent from behind the arc on the afternoon, including an eye-opening 47 percent in the first half.
Forward Val Driscoll failed to cash in the offensive department, but thrived on defense. Driscoll anchored the paint registering five blocks against Siena’s dangerous post play.
“The obvious game plan was not to let us have anything easy on the inside, Val didn’t score for us, we had to work really hard for anything we got in the interior,” Fabbri said.
Siena’s leading scorers, senior guard Tehresa Coles and freshman forward Margot Hetzke were held to a combined eight points, both players average double–digits in points. Coles got herself into early foul trouble and was relegated to the bench for much of the first half. Hetzke on the other hand was blanketed in the post by Guastella and was only able to score from the free throw line.
“I was just working on trying to front her and make sure I could use my size against her and make sure that when she catches the ball it’s not easy for a score,” Guastella said.
While Quinnipiac’s “Old Rush,” which is the label given to the team’s starting five, was in full effect. Its “Gold Rush,” the second unit, was subpar. Quinnipiac’s bench scored only eight points in the Bobcats win, five of them coming from junior guard Adily Martucci.
So far through two games in the MAAC Tournament, the Bobcats have scored 146 points as a team, the “Gold Rush” has scored 29 of those points, 20 percent of the team’s points.
“I have a great feeling about tomorrow they’re [the “Gold Rush”] going to be ready and everyone’s just going to be all in,” Martin said.
Heading into the championship game, Quinnipiac will face Maris, which Quinnipiac has swept this season. It will be the sixth meeting between the teams in the past two years and a chance for Quinnipiac to gain revenge for last year’s 70-66 championship game loss.
