The No. 2 seeded Quinnipiac women’s basketball team arrives in Atlantic City with their eyes on the prize. They’ve won five of the last six MAAC titles and will begin their walk down the boardwalk with a matchup against No. 7 Rider on Wednesday.

The Broncs come into the matchup off the heels of a big win over No. 10 Monmouth on Tuesday, a 44-41 win.

Players to Watch

Quinnipiac: Mikala Morris

On Wednesday morning, Morris was selected as the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year.

She’s the only player in the conference averaging a double-double (13 pts., 10 reb.), she’s top five in points per game (5^th), rebounds (1^st), blocks (2^nd), and the sophomore is top ten in steals (8^th) as well.

The last time Morris met up with the Broncs, she logged 36 points, 21 boards, five assists and four blocks across two games. Expect Morris to dominate down low in the pick and roll and simply do her thing.

Rider: Makayla Firebaugh

An All-MAAC Rookie selection this year, Makayla Firebaugh stumbled through the Broncs’ first-round matchup. After leading the Broncs in scoring the entire season (10.4 points per game), Firebaugh went quiet in her first career playoff matchup, going 0/8 from the field.

It’ll definitely be a topic of discussion whether or not her first game jitters were a fluke or if she’ll once again fall under pressure against an elite team like Quinnipiac.

Keys to the Game

Quinnipiac: Capitalize in the Pick & Roll

In Rider’s win over Monmouth, the Broncs tended to switch defenders in the pick and roll, which will cause plenty of mismatches for Mikala Morris.

The Broncs boast plenty of back-court pick pocketers, but if Morris is able to get the ball out of her hands quick, she’ll have no problem playing bully ball against the shorter defender.

Rider: Shoot, Shoot, Shoot (and hit)

When the Broncs played Quinnipiac to a 77-74 overtime win back in late January, the Broncs shot 46% from the field, their best shooting performance on the season.

They weren’t particularly good on the defensive end as three Bobcats tallied 15 points or more, but the Broncs did block a season-high ten shots in the effort.

If Rider is unable to neutralize one of the Bobcats’ multiple threats, the best way to take out the Bobcats is simply to outscore them.

Tune In & Follow Along with Us

The Bobcats will match up against the Broncs on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. Live coverage of the game will begin at 2:15 p.m. with Ross Meglin and Will Fowler on the call here.

Unable to tune in? Be sure to follow along on our official Twitter and Instagram (@QBSN) and with Steven McAvoy (@StevenMcAvoy_) on Twitter for live updates.