The Quinnipiac women’s basketball team suffered a 75-71 defeat to the Charleston Cougars, falling to 2-3 on the season. A tale of two halfs, both teams fought hard until the end and made big plays when it mattered most. However, it’s Charleston who leaves Hamden with a big victory to remain undefeated.
“Look, we didn’t win the game, but we’re getting better. It’s a hard team to play against, with their style defensively, and offensively with their firepower, so they jumped on us early, but we really battled and made it a game in that fourth quarter, kept taking some punches. But overall, this game got us better and we are getting better.” head coach Tricia Fabbri said..
Charleston immediately came to play from the opening tip, using their athleticism, physicality, and shot-making ability to take control of the game early on. Their full-court pressure forced the Bobcats to use the majority of the shot clock, making it difficult for Quinnipiac to set up their offensive sets. The Cougars got out to as big as a 16-point lead in the third quarter, and had victory in their sights.
The fourth quarter is where the momentum began to shift in favor of Quinnipiac. The Bobcats continued to throw different looks defensively at Charleston, catching them off guard and going on scoring runs. At one point, the Bobcats were within three points, looking to complete the comeback. However, Charleston junior guard Taylor Barbot and junior guard Tyja Beans hit tough shots to kill any momentum that Quinnipiac generated, and with solid defense to finish out the game, Charleston escaped with the win.
A revelation for the Bobcats has been the stellar play of first year guard Ella Ryan. With junior guard Karson Martin absent from the lineup, Ryan has shown no fear and has had some flashes for Quinnipiac. In the fourth quarter alone, Ryan knocked down three clutch shots from behind the line to keep the Bobcats within striking distance and finished with 22 points in the game, making six out of eight three-pointers.
“We put Ella Ryan on the fast track. What she is doing throughout her early career here is really impressive along both ends of the floor given the competition we’re playing against, Big Ten, Big East, CAA, and what we’re asking her to do. She’s unflappable and she just does so many things well and it was nice to see her just really play with that confidence.” Fabbri said
“I think it’s just a testament to the work I put in behind the scenes, and it’s also a testament to how everyone believes in me, and I truly couldn’t do this without the support of everyone on the bench.. it’s a tremendous blessing to have that opportunity and it means a lot,” Ryan said of her early season success.
Quinnipiac will look to get back on track against the Colgate Raiders at M&T Bank Arena on Nov. 23, with tip off scheduled for 2.p.m.
