The Quinnipiac Bobcats were swept in their season series vs. the Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers for the first time in 15 years after falling 54-45 on Thursday night in Hamden.
Quinnipiac entered the contest sitting in sixth place in the MAAC with a 7-6 conference record with the hopes of jumping 8-6 Canisius with a win. The Bobcats were also looking to split the season series with the Mountaineers after dropping the first contest by a score of 56-50 at Emmitsburg in January.
Quinnipiac would play shorthanded once again as, along with junior guard Jackie Grisdale and first-year guard Ella O’Donnell, they would play without first year guard Maria Kealy who missed her second game in a row. It would be up to the other stars for the Bobcats to make an impact on the scoresheet.
“We want everything going through Anna Foley,” said head coach Tricia Fabbri when asked about how the Bobcats would spread the ball out in the absence of three guards.
Foley, the first year forward answered the call for Quinnipiac posting 15 points and nine rebounds, just one shy of a double-double. Foley was complemented by a strong showing from first year guard Karson Martin who put up 12 points on the day as well. Unfortunately for Quinnipiac, these efforts, along with a 10 rebound game from first year guard Kassidy Thompson would not prove to be enough.
Mount St. Mary’s would jump out to an early nine-point lead in the first quarter where they shot 50% from the floor while also leading Quinnipiac in both rebounds and turnovers.
The second quarter would tell a different story as the Bobcats came within six points of the Mountaineers and began to move the ball well and put up plenty of shots. Despite some of their success and a slight momentum shift from the first quarter, Quinnipiac struggled to hit shots, going nine for 31 from the floor in the first half.
The struggles continued for the Bobcats as the second half began as they shot one for seven in the early minutes of the third quarter. The Mountaineers would hold onto their lead despite a push from the Bobcats late in the quarter and lead by five points.
Mount St. Mary’s would close out the game leaving Hamden with a nine-point victory after the fourth quarter. The starters mostly led the way for the Mountaineers along with a 14-point performance off the bench from the senior forward Isabella Hunt. Hunt and redshirt junior guard Jada Lee each led the team in scoring.
With the loss, Quinnipiac falls to 10-13 overall and 7-7 in the conference. The Bobcats will have a tall task ahead of them in the final stretch of the season looking to improve their seeding in the tournament without Grisdale and O’Donnell for the foreseeable future.
