When the Quinnipiac Bobcats (24-5 overall, 18-0 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) took the floor Sunday, they had one thing on their minds: perfection. That’s exactly what they did defeating the Monmouth Hawks (9-20 overall, 7-11 MAAC) 77-57 on Senior Day, giving them their 18th conference win and 19th consecutive win of the season.
The Bobcats started the afternoon off by honoring seniors Sarah Shewan, Brittany Johnson and Carly Fabbri in a pre-game ceremony. This senior class has led the Bobcats to two MAAC championships and a historic run to the Sweet Sixteen in last year’s NCAA tournament which was the best finish in program history.
Quinnipiac got off to a quick start in the first quarter as their starting five shot 7-for-11 from the field and 2-for-4 from behind the arc to give them an early five-point lead. Monmouth responded by shooting 7-for-13 from the field and 3-for-5 from three-point range to tie the game at 19 with 38 seconds remaining. Brittany Martin drove the length of the floor, missing a layup that was rebounded by Monmouth guard Kayla Shaw. It looked like we were headed to the second quarter tied when a steal by Jaden Ward forced the ball back to Brittany Martin who hit a step-back jumper as time expired to give the Bobcats a 21-19 lead. Bobcats head coach Tricia Fabbri Spoke about Martin’s recent success for Quinnipiac.
“I just think it’s her overall confidence that she’s playing with, offensively, defensively, and It just come s from a real good foundation…she’s always had the talent and now she’s just backing it up with her confidence,” coach Tricia Fabbri said.
Both teams cooled off a bit in the second quarter as some great defense forced missed shots and turnovers by both sides. Quinnipiac was able to maintain a slight edge thanks to key three-pointers by Carly Fabbri, Edel Thornton and Brittany Martin. Monmouth applied some pressure on the defensive end of the floor and continued to stay with the Bobcats, keeping the game close as they headed to locker-room trailing by seven.
As they’ve done time and time again, Quinnipiac started to pull away in the third quarter with great ball movement and a balanced scoring attack from Jen Fay, Aryn McClure, and Carly Fabbri. Combining to shoot 9-for-10 from the field and 4-for-5 from three, they led the Bobcats to an 18-point lead headed to the last quarter of the game and ten minutes away from perfection.
The fourth quarter was much of the same as the Hawks had no answers for the Bobcats on either end of the floor and were unable to make any run. With four minutes left in the game, senior Carly Fabbri came off the court for the final time to a standing ovation from the crowd, and many hugs from her teammates. In her final home game as a Bobcat, Fabbri scored 21 points on 7-for-11 shooting and added 4 assists.
“I don’t think it’s really hit me yet, I’m sure when we have our little postgame I’ll get a little emotional, but for right now I’m just trying to ride the wave and keep this going as long as I can,” Fabbri said.
This might’ve been her last home game, but Fabbri and the Bobcats are certainly not done playing this season. They will enter the MAAC tournament as the No. 1 seed and the overwhelming favorite to win.
“Our focus is game by game for the next three games of the MAAC Tournament,” Aryn McClure said when asked about their approach to the tournament.
The Bobcats will be in action this Friday in Albany, N.Y. for the MAAC Tournament as they look to repeat as MAAC Champions and possibly make another run in the NCAA tournament this March.
