The Quinnipiac women’s basketball team suffered a 53-51 defeat against the St John’s Red Storm at M&T Bank Arena, falling to 1-2 on the young season.
“Yeah, tough one to lose when we had it in control. The press came, turnovers came, momentum changed in a hurry and we couldn’t get it back, so obviously very disappointing.” Quinnipiac head coach Tricia Fabbri said.
A physical affair from the very start, Quinnipiac senior forward Ella O’Donnell got it going in the post, finishing around the basket and running the show early for the Bobcats, finishing with 16 points on the evening.
In the second quarter, Quinnipiac forced plenty of turnovers and looked to get out in transition; however St John’s continued to drive down the lane and have success in the paint, only facing a two-point deficit at halftime.
In a game of runs for both sides, Quinnipiac had its way near the rim, having most of its points in that area in the third quarter, but still could not create the separation that they needed, as St John’s only faced a four-point deficit heading into the final quarter.
The final quarter is when the action started to heat up, as Quinnipiac senior guard Jackie Grisdale hit a three, and O’Donnell added a couple of free throws to put Quinnipiac up nine points, finding that breathing room. However, St John’s changed the momentum, deploying a full-court press defense to disturb the Bobcats’ flow. The Red Storm forced Quinnipiac into some tough situations, stealing possessions and converting them into key baskets.
Suddenly, the Bobcats’ lead began to dwindle and eventually, a three-pointer by St John’s junior guard Beautiful Waheed gave St John’s back the lead. A tough turnaround jumper by graduate guard Shanula Wagner pushed the Red Storm’s lead to four.
Quinnipiac would keep battling, getting to the free-throw line, keeping the game close from there. They would get massive breaks their way, as St John’s missed two free throws, while they were up by two, giving Quinnipiac a chance to draw up a final play.
St John’s stifled Quinnipiac junior forward Anna Foley, and the Bobcats were unable to get an attempt on the rim, giving St John’s the come-from-behind road victory in Hamden.
A negative for Quinnipiac in this game was the shooting from the outside. Other than an open three from Grisdale, the Bobcats finished 1-15 from the three-point line.
“I think it was just an off night, we’d been shooting the ball very well, and we didn’t shy away from it, but that certainly hurt us, and just the flow of the offense, not being able to drill more,” Fabbri said.
While the absence of junior guard Karson Martin is a loss for Quinnipiac, first year guard Ella Ryan held her own in a starting role, finishing with eight points and six tough rebounds.
“What she has been doing in her first three college games has been phenomenal. I’m really excited with what she’s currently doing and how she has been playing.” Fabbri said of the first year.
Quinnipiac will now head down Whitney Ave to take on the Yale Bulldogs in New Haven on Nov. 18, with tip-off scheduled for 5 p.m.
