On Jan. 20, the Quinnipiac women’s basketball team made the trek to western New York to take on Niagara, falling in overtime to the Purple Eagles after putting up a great fight in a down-to-the-wire loss.
On Thursday evening, those same Bobcats hosted the Purple Eagles in Hamden and once again fell in a close, overtime game. Niagara forced 34 Quinnipiac turnovers en route to a 66-60 victory.
“You have to give credit where credit is due,” head coach Tricia Fabbri said. “We kept taking their punches and had some opportunities, but the pace of the game slowed us down a bit at the end.”
The Bobcats have been plagued by injuries all season, most notably without first-year guard Maria Kealy, sophomore forward Ella O’Donnell and junior guard Jackie Grisdale. Different players have had to step up, including first-year guard Karson Martin.
“I think Karson Martin and our press break handled it beautifully comig down the floor,” Fabbri said.
Martin finished with 14 points and four rebounds against Niagara, playing almost 44 of the 45 total minutes. She was tasked with being the main ball handler to break the Purple Eagle press, figuring out a way to avoid traps and double teams as best she could with her quickness.
Quinnipiac led for a majority of the first half as Niagara got out to a slow start. In the first quarter, the Bobcats’ defense allowed just seven points to jump out to an eight-point advantage at 15-7, the final two of those points scored by sophomore center Khadijah Tungo. The fastbreak layup gave Tungo the first points of her collegiate career.
“I’m just glad she scored the bucket, it was a good catch and finish,” Fabbri said. “It’s about being ready and being ready for the moment.”
“I was so happy, I didn’t know how to react,” Tungo said. “Our team is just so good inside the locker room and outside the locker room, so I’m happy they’re happy for me.”
The Purple Eagles were able to tie the score at halftime and jumped out to an early advantage in the third quarter. Trailing 50-42, the Bobcats went on an 11-0 run, headlined by a pair of threes from first-year guard Ava Sollenne and a triple from Martin.
“Going into it we just knew that we had a fighting chance at this,” Sollenne said. “We all believed and are keeping that mentality all the way to the MAAC Tournament.”
In the fourth quarter, things looked all but over for the Bobcats as they continued their turnover woes. After a couple of defensive stops, a three-point play inside from first year forward Anna Foley tied the game at 58 with 17 seconds to play. Niagara failed to score and the game went to overtime.
“We were right there,” Fabbri said. “Executing and getting the and-one with Foley, you know, the sideline out of bounds.”
In the extra period, the Bobcats went 0-8 from the field and scored just two points on a pair of free throws from sophomore guard Bri Bowen. The Purple Eagles pulled away, extending the Bobcats losing streak to four.
“I am into a little bit of a moral victory,” Fabbri said. “We’ve seen injuries, we’ve faced challenges, you see a team that is a champion going out ready to compete and play.”
It’s a quick turnaround for Quinnipiac as the Bobcats are set to host Canisius on Saturday afternoon for 2024 Senior Day. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. at M&T Bank Arena.
