The Quinnipiac women’s basketball team is rolling, taking down Siena at home for their third straight win on Saturday in a dominant 70-49 victory, improving to 18-9 on the season.

The story of the first quarter was undoubtedly the Bobcats’ defense. In 10 minutes of play, Quinnipiac held Siena to just nine points, scoring 18 of their own to end the quarter with a sizeable lead. Sajada Bonnermade her presence known, drawing tough offensive fouls in addition to a couple of steals.

Quinnipiac’s offense lived in the paint all throughout the first half. 24 of the Bobcats’ 35 first-half points came from down low, a true testament to the team’s ability to move the ball and find the open shot.

Head coach Tricia Fabbri recognized the team’s on-court chemistry as a result of a carefully crafted culture.

“This is a really great group that is really well connected off the court and now you’re seeing it pay off on the court,” Fabbri said. “(Our culture) has always been a strength.”

A 10-0 run to begin the second half confirmed what Fabbri preached about the team’s chemistry. The Bobcats clicked on both sides of the ball, scoring 23 points in the third quarter, and limiting Siena to just 17. By the time the buzzer sounded, Quinnipiac had extended its lead over the Saints to 58-41.

To say that Quinnipiac ran away with this game is an understatement. The Bobcats already entered the fourth quarter leading by 17 points and used the final 10 minutes to put the game away for good. An additional 12 points brought the team’s final total to 70, marking the 12^th time this season that the team’s offense generated at least 70 points. In those 12 games, the team is now 11-1.

Senior Makenzie DeWees racked up a team-high 14 points in the game in addition to four steals. Both she and her team’s ability to perform on both ends of the floor can be attributed to none other than building a winning culture.

“You can have some great offensive skills and some great defensive skills, but if you don’t have that culture within the team, then you’re not going to win,” DeWees said.

Three Bobcats tallied double-digit points in the contest: DeWees, Bonner and Amani Free. The trio combined for 36 points, good for over half of the team’s total.

In order to allow the team’s scorers to thrive, there must be someone on the floor to generate the offense. Tonight, and for most of this season, that person was senior guard Rose Caverly. Caverly led the team with six assists, contributing five points of her own in the process. The Bobcats rely on Caverly not only to lead the offense, but to lead the team too.

“She is the definition of a true point guard,” Bonner said. “She is going to lead us no matter what.”

Two games remain on the Bobcats’ regular-season schedule and the team will travel next to play Manhattan on Wednesday. Quinnipiac currently sits in second place in the MAAC standings, with Manhattan just one game behind. With the two-seed on the line, it will surely be a game worth watching.