By: Sierra Goodwill
It was business as usual for the Quinnipiac women’s basketball team which defeated the Monmouth Haws 83-44 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinals. Despite the empty stands at the Times Union Center on Friday afternoon, the Bobcats didn’t need any exterior motivation.
“This team has been so confident all season long,” Head coach Tricia Fabbri said. “There’s a real calmness and a real poise. There’s a different feel going into Sunday, especially winning the way we did today.”
Quinnipiac’s lock-down defense was smothering, as it forced Monmouth into 21 turnovers and held them to 31.5 percent shooting from the field, including 5-of-20 from three point land.
“In terms of the first game of the tournament, this is really the way you want to open it up,” Fabbri said.
The Bobcats led 41-14 at the half, which seemed bad enough, until the Hawks couldn’t score for the first six minutes of the third quarter. During that time Quinnipiac’s lead blossomed to 35 points.
Tricia Fabbri turned to her beloved gold rush system to get her bench players plenty of experience in a one-and-done environment. All 12 players that stepped on the court for Quinnipiac scored a field goal. The last one to do so was freshman Chiara Bacchini, but she connected on a three-pointer with 16 seconds left in the game after all of her teammates were screaming to get her the ball.
“A lot of players have seen a lot of playing time and contributed to our success all season long, but what was really exceptional today was the enthusiasm with Danelle Bradley and Katie Grant on the floor,” the head coach said. “Its just that care and that love between teammates, it’s for each other and it makes this time of the year that much more special for bonding a team.”
Carly Fabbri had the hot hand for the Bobcats scoring 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting, but she commended her team’s defensive prowess for her offensive success.
“We came up here for a purpose. We want to go home with another championship trophy,” the senior guard said. “We take pride in our defensive capabilities. Coming out with a strong start is always really important in these games.”
Paula Strautmane notched her first double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds, eight of those coming on the offensive end. Her compete level on the boards was unmatched.
“What was really nice was her being able to convert them into some real production for us offensively,” the head coach said. “That’s going to be really key for us going forward into the rest of the year. I liked how aggressive she was once she got the rebound.”
“That’s what we’ve been focusing on the most in practice is the defense,” Stautmane said. “We know we are going to have low times in a game when shots are not going in and all you can do is defend.”
The next hurdle for Quinnipiac is the winner of No. 4 seed Fairfield and No. 5 seed Rider. That semifinal will tip at 11 a.m. on Sunday in Albany, N.Y.
“You’re 40 minutes away from looking at the championship and you know what’s around the corner at that following day,” the 2017-18 MAAC Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year said. “Eyes on the prize.”
