By: Bryan Schwartz
For the past four years, Carly Fabbri and the Quinnipiac women’s basketball team has dominated the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. That did not change during Fabbri’s senior day Sunday afternoon in Hamden.
The Quinnipiac Bobcats (24-5, 18-0 MAAC) defeated the Monmouth Hawks (9-20, 7-11 MAAC) 77-57, completing their undefeated MAAC season.
“I didn’t want to get too distracted,” the point guard Fabbri said. “We had a mission to go undefeated in conference.”
Fabbri made a huge impact today from the floor, securing the Bobcat’s 18-0 record. She had a team-high 21 points, shooting 7-of-11 from the field with four assists. And she did it with her whole family in the seats right behind the basket.
“To play a great game in front of them, they’ve been watching her since she can dribble a basketball, so I’m sure it’s very gratifying for her,” head coach and mom Tricia Fabbri said.
In what was a close game for the majority of the first half, Quinnipiac took control after the intermission. The Bobcats outscored the Hawks by 11 in the second half. Being able to rally after the break has been a common theme for Quinnipiac.
“It’s us being able to respond, and also the kids just settling into the game and roaring out of the locker room, acknowledging what the other teams are able to do,” the coach said. “And then us just being really confident and going out and taking it to them in the third and fourth quarter.”
It was a three point barrage for Fabbri and the Bobcats. The point guard was four of six from beyond the arc. Quinnipiac was ten of twenty three from three.
Fabbri came out of the game to a rousing ovation from the crowd at the 4:21 mark of the fourth quarter. As “Carly Fabbri” chants echoed throughout the TD Bank Sports Center, Fabbri just soaked in the moment with the 2100 fans in attendance.
“That was awesome,” the senior Fabbri said. “I thought the crowd was incredible, and that’s something that we’ve been really working towards. Having that atmosphere and home court advantage is great.”
The dominant second half propelled the Bobcats to completing the undefeated MAAC season for the second time (20-0 in 2014-15 season). Quinnipiac finished the year 18-0 in conference play.
Next up for Quinnipiac is the MAAC tournament. The Bobcats will have a first round bye and then set their sights on their second straight MAAC championship and NCAA tournament.
“We take it one game at a time,” forward Jen Fay (16 points and six rebounds) said. “Our next focus is the next three games.”
