By Angelique Fiske, QBSN Publishing Editor
With a win over Sacred Heart on Feb. 23, the Bobcats clinched the NEC Regular Season Title. In a 74-61 victory over Bryant, they continued rolling and maintained a perfect in-conference record.
In the process of picking up their 25th win of the year, Bobcats (25-2, 16-0 NEC) never sacrificed their lead. Bryant did come close, as it was down by as much as 20 points in the second half but cut Quinnipiac’s lead down to four with under three minutes to play.
Camryn Warner (Keene, N.H.) hit a 3-pointer to give the Bobcats room to breathe at 68-61.
“Her hitting that was really big. I think that was a turning point for us at the end of the game,” Jasmine Martin (Slicklerville, N.J.) said of the play.
Warner and Martin both notched 17 points in the game to lead both teams.
Nine different Bobcats scored in the win, a commonality in Quinnipiac’s accomplishments this season.
“That’s why we’ve really had the success because it’s not one single person that’s got to come in and shoulder the load,” head coach Tricia Fabbri said.
While shooting came from all over, Brittany McQuain (Independence, Mo.) was faced with a double-team situation.
“The one thing that goes through my mind whenever I get double-teamed is just find somebody else. Don’t force a shot. Don’t look to score,” McQuain said. “I play for the best team in the conference right now. This team is going to win whether is score four points or I score 14.”
While Bryant shut down McQuain, the Quinnipiac defense also fought back. The team combined for 21 steals as the Bulldogs suffered 24 turnovers. In spite of this, Danielle Douglas put up 16 for Bryant, and the Bobcats recognize this game as a “wake-up call,” according to Martin.
“We can’t take any team for granted. Any team, any given night, can come in here and put up any numbers, so we just have to make sure we keep working hard. We can’t focus on what we’ve already done,” she said. “We have to focus on what we’re going to do.”
With nothing but wins since Dec. 29, a clean conference record, and a sterling home record, the Bobcats have a lot to be proud of but haven’t lost sight of their overall goals.
“This team knows the big picture. We keep doing it together, and doing it well,” Fabbri said.
The Bobcats head to LIU Brooklyn March 2 in their second to last regular season game. Tip off is set for 2 p.m.
