By Gilbert A. Celaya, QBSN Staff Writer

The top seeded Quinnipiac Bobcats will play the sixth seeded Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers in the NEC Semifinals on Wednesday night.  Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at the TD Bank Sports Center.

The teams have faced each other in the NEC tournament twice before, with QU knocking out the Mount both times.  Quinnipiac is 19-7 all time against Mount St. Mary’s with the Bobcats winning the last five meetings.

After earning the right to play in the NEC semifinals by beating the Bryant Bulldogs, 79-55, QU will be looking to extend its winning streak to 21 games.  The Bobcats’ current winning streak places them tied in fifth place for the longest winning streak in the nation.

In the game against Bryant, Brittany McQuain (Independence, Mo.) racked up a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 16 rebounds which included eight offensive boards.  Four different Bobcats also contributed to the win by scoring double-digit points. Bobcats’ head coach Tricia Fabbri was awarded the NEC Coach of the Year award, the third of her career, the night the Bobcats advanced to the semis.

The Mountaineers took the road to the semifinals by upsetting third-seeding Monmouth, 59-57, in overtime.  Down by five points during overtime, the Mountaineers scored 10 points to overtake Monmouth.  Sydney Henderson led Mount St. Mary’s with a game-high 17 points.

The last time the Mountaineers and the Bobcats faced one another, QU chalked up a win by the score of 78-55.  The Mount held a three-point lead to start the game.  However, the Bobcats were able to take the lead a nine-point lead into the locker-room at intermission.  In the second half, QU outscored the Mountaineers 51-34 as five different Bobcats scored in double figures.

Both teams will be playing for the right to play in the NEC Championship game on Sunday, March 17 with the time and place TBD.